Astronomy
The Phoenix spacecraft, launched in August 2007, is landing on Mars this Sunday. It is composed of many different types of components that will help conduct its research on Mars. Some of these instruments are from previous missions that did were abandoned.
- Phoenix's Microscope Receives First Sample
After 28 Sols, or Martian days, the latest images beamed back to NASA from Phoenix, like the one above, show that the lander is continuing to do its job successfully on Mars. Phoenix's robotic arm, in the picture on the top right corner, has just...
- Phoenix Discovers Ice
The animation at right displays the finding of ice on Mars by Phoenix. As the previous posts about Phoenix on this blog show, Phoenix's mission was to find water on the polar regions of Mars, and it has done exactly that. Through digging, it uncovered...
- Phoenix Landing A Success!
Phoenix has made a successful landing on Mars yesterday. Very soon after the landing, it started sending pictures of itself and the area around it. The Phoenix crew (right) is very happy with the results. The above picture is of one of Phoenix'...
- Seven Minutes Of Terror!
Seven Minutes of Terror! That's what the spacecraft and the team working on the Phoenix spacecraft will go through, when Phoenix attempts a landing this Sunday on Mars. This is when the space vehicle will first hit the atmosphere of Mars, go through...
- Phoenix Is Go For Landing
Phoenix is go for landing. The Phoenix Spacecraft is currently being prepared for its landing on Mars, to take place on this Sunday, May 25, at about 7:30 P.M. NASA has put up many ways that you can stay informed and current with information about the...
Astronomy
Phoenix Components
The Phoenix spacecraft, launched in August 2007, is landing on Mars this Sunday. It is composed of many different types of components that will help conduct its research on Mars. Some of these instruments are from previous missions that did were abandoned.
One of the major components is the robotic arm. As said in the previous post, the robotic arm will help Phoenix to dig through the topsoil to reach the frozen water underneath. The arm will then bring up the samples up onto the lander for further analysis. This arm also has an attached camera, which allows Phoenix to see what and where it is digging.
There are various types of cameras on board the Phoenix. The Surface Stereo Imager is the primary camera on board, and is also a high resolution stereo camera. The Thermal and Evolved Gas Analyzer will bake and analyze martian dust. The Mars Descent Imager will take pictures of the Martian soil when the lander is descending, starting when the aeroshell is departed, at about 8 km above Mars. Using the Microscopy, Electrochemistry, and Conductivity Analyzer, researchers can examine Martian soil particles as small as 16 micrometers across.
Phoenix also sports a Meteorological Station, with which Phoenix will monitor the daily weather during its entire mission.
The Phoenix DVD is a DVD attached to the Phoenix lander made by The Planetary Society, with Visions of Mars recorded onto it. It is made from special silica glass that will allow it to withstand the conditions of Mars for many years. The DVD contains works from literature and art about Mars, like War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells and messages from Carl Sagan. The Planetary Society also collected names of people in fall of 2006 to place on the front of the disc, about a quarter of million. I myself wasn't one of these people, since I found out about this after the launch of Phoenix. The disc can be comparable to the Voyager Golden Record, which was sent with the Voyager spacecraft.
- Phoenix's Microscope Receives First Sample
After 28 Sols, or Martian days, the latest images beamed back to NASA from Phoenix, like the one above, show that the lander is continuing to do its job successfully on Mars. Phoenix's robotic arm, in the picture on the top right corner, has just...
- Phoenix Discovers Ice
The animation at right displays the finding of ice on Mars by Phoenix. As the previous posts about Phoenix on this blog show, Phoenix's mission was to find water on the polar regions of Mars, and it has done exactly that. Through digging, it uncovered...
- Phoenix Landing A Success!
Phoenix has made a successful landing on Mars yesterday. Very soon after the landing, it started sending pictures of itself and the area around it. The Phoenix crew (right) is very happy with the results. The above picture is of one of Phoenix'...
- Seven Minutes Of Terror!
Seven Minutes of Terror! That's what the spacecraft and the team working on the Phoenix spacecraft will go through, when Phoenix attempts a landing this Sunday on Mars. This is when the space vehicle will first hit the atmosphere of Mars, go through...
- Phoenix Is Go For Landing
Phoenix is go for landing. The Phoenix Spacecraft is currently being prepared for its landing on Mars, to take place on this Sunday, May 25, at about 7:30 P.M. NASA has put up many ways that you can stay informed and current with information about the...