Phoenix Mars Lander Studies Mars
The Newest Robotic Scientist Lands on Mars to Begin Science Mission
Follow the water. Those three words sum up current Mars science strategy, and the latest success promises to be the most able ice hunter to land on the red planet's surface to date. Launched August 4, 2007, packed tightly into a Delta II rocket, the Phoenix began its 679 million kilometer journey to Mars. Spirit and Opportunity, the two roving predecessors to Phoenix, and less than half its size, are geologists. Phoenix is more of a chemist and it is tasked with the mission of investigating an exciting discovery made by the Mars Odyssey Orbiter in 2002. Odyssey discovered large amounts of subsurface water ice in the northern arctic region of the planet.
Phoenix Lander Instrumentation
Using its 2.35 meter robotic arm, Phoenix will dig through surface soil to retrieve samples of the ice which will be deposited on its lander platform for close scientific study by sophisticated instruments. As detailed on NASA's Phoenix Spacecraft and Instrumentation site, the craft's array of instruments include a meteorological station, surface stereo imager, thermal and evolved-gas analyzer, microscopy and an electro-chemistry and conductivity analyzer. These tools will be used in an attempt to meet the mission's 2 main objectives.
First Mission Objective
The first objective, as outlined on JPL's official Mars Phoenix site, is to study the history of water on Mars. Phoenix will use its meteorological station to collect data scientists can use to model past climate and predict future weather processes. The Lander's location is ideal for this objective, as the arctic plain is covered in water ice. It is believed that this solid ice interacting with water vapor in the atmosphere plays an important role in the planet's climate.
Second Mission Objective
The second mission objective is to determine if the Martian soil is capable of supporting life. One hypothesis is that some of the ice at the landing site could thaw during warm climate cycles. The resulting water could possibly provide a habitable environment for microbes. In the right conditions, it is possible that during a subsequent freeze, dormant microbes can be trapped between layers of ice. Phoenix is not capable of detecting past or present life, but it is designed to help scientists determine if possible conditions could support life.
Perfect Landing
When the Phoenix Mars Lander hit the upper atmosphere of Mars it was traveling 5.7 kilometers per second. It took 6-1/2 minutes to reach the surface, using atmospheric friction, a parachute and thrusters to decrease its velocity to 2.7 meters per second before touchdown. The lander beat the odds and became only the sixth of fourteen international missions that both arrived at the planet and successfully landed on its surface. Phoenix touched down on May 25, 2008 and successfully transmitted signals that included pictures of itself back to scientists on earth.
Science Mission Begins
A week after landing, Phoenix used its robotic arm to scoop its first sample of Martian soil. After a few days of trials, soil was retrieved and examined under microscope. Pictures sent back to earth revealed dust and sand particles as small as 1 tenth the diameter of a human hair. These are the highest resolution photos ever to be captured on another planet.
The Phoenix Mars Lander mission is planned to last 90 sols, or Martian days (approximately 92.5 Earth days), but will continue as long as the lander can transmit data back to scientists. It will gather the necessary samples to perform all of its planned scientific studies. Mission participants include NASA, JPL, the Canadian Space Agency, which provided the meteorology station, Lockheed Martin Space Systems and the University of Arizona.
