Astronomy
If you haven't found out already, the Phoenix spacecraft is scheduled to land this Sunday, May 25, 2008 on Mars. So what exactly is the Phoenix spacecraft and mission?
- Search Continues For Mars Polar Lander
Mars Polar Lander is one of the two exploration vehicles of NASA Mars Surveyor' 98 Program launched on 3rd January 1999. It all happened 10 years ago in December 1999 the Mars Polar Lander before entering the atmosphere of Mars became missing. The...
- 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 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
The Phoenix
If you haven't found out already, the Phoenix spacecraft is scheduled to land this Sunday, May 25, 2008 on Mars. So what exactly is the Phoenix spacecraft and mission?
Basically, the Phoenix spacecraft is a lander, that will land on Mars and, using its onboard instrume
nts, conduct research on the surface of the planet. It will look for environments suitable for microbial life and, in that process, learn more about the history of water on Mars. Since Mars
nts, conduct research on the surface of the planet. It will look for environments suitable for microbial life and, in that process, learn more about the history of water on Mars. Since Mars has no liquid water, Phoenix is landing in the arctic region of Mars. In 2002, the Mars Odyssey Orbiter showed a high amount of subsurface water in the Arctic plains (image at left). The lander will, with its robotic arm dig through the protective top soil layer (image at right), reaching its way into the
water below. After digging,
the lander will then bring in the soil and the water onboard on to the lander platform, where scientific instruments will analyze the samples.
The name Phoenix comes from the fact that the Phoenix program is very similar to the mythological namesake, which is a bird that is reborn from its ashes after it burns and dies. Many of the spacecraft's parts come from pervious projects. For example, the lander that the spacecraft is using has been modified from the Mars Surveyor 2001 lander.
The name Phoenix comes from the fact that the Phoenix program is very similar to the mythological namesake, which is a bird that is reborn from its ashes after it burns and dies. Many of the spacecraft's parts come from pervious projects. For example, the lander that the spacecraft is using has been modified from the Mars Surveyor 2001 lander.
Images from JPL, LPL, NASA.
- Search Continues For Mars Polar Lander
Mars Polar Lander is one of the two exploration vehicles of NASA Mars Surveyor' 98 Program launched on 3rd January 1999. It all happened 10 years ago in December 1999 the Mars Polar Lander before entering the atmosphere of Mars became missing. The...
- 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 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...