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Science Phoenix Mars Lander near journey’s end
Science Phoenix Mars Lander near journey’s end | Phoenix Mars Lander near journey’s end |
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| by William Atkins | |
| Wednesday, 14 May 2008 | |
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Science DiscussionsWhen approaching the outer fringe of the Martian atmosphere the robotic (unmanned) Phoenix Mars Lander will be traveling at approximately 13,000 miles per hour (20,900 kilometers per hour). Within seven minutes it will slow itself down to 5 miles per hour (8 kilometers per hour)--just before landing on the surface of Mars. Atmospheric entry is scheduled to begin at 7:46 pm. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT). The time of landing is expected to occur as early as 7:53 p.m. EDT. The first images taken by the Lander are expected to be viewable by 9:40 p.m. EDT. A landing countdown clock appears on the University of Arizona—Lunar Planetary Laboratory’s Phoenix Mars Mission website. Ed Weiler, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, comments on the landing, “This is not a trip to grandma's house. Putting a spacecraft safely on Mars is hard and risky. Internationally, fewer than half the attempts have succeeded." [NASA news release: “NASA Phoenix Mission Ready for Mars Landing”] NASA has minimized the risk of a failed landing by using its Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, which is currently in orbit about Mars, to take images of the planet. Its High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera has mapped its landing site, along with various other sites, down to details of being able to image individual rocks. In fact, Ray Arvidson (Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.A.), who is the chairperson of the Phoenix landing-site working group, stated, “We have blanketed nearly the entire landing area with HiRISE images. This is one of the least rocky areas on all of Mars and we are confident that rocks will not detrimentally impact the ability of Phoenix to land safely." [NASA news release] The Mars Phoenix Lander is expected to land in a 60-mile by 12-mile (100 kilometer by 20 kilometer) ellipse-shaped area that has been named “Green Valley,” which is within the Vastitas Borealis, a lowland region on Mars. Often called the Northern Plains, or the Northern Lowlands, the area encircles the northern polar region of Mars. Will Green Valley produce any interesting discoveries? Please read on. |
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