William Atkins
Monday, 26 May 2008 19:58
Science -
Space
Page 1 of 2
The Phoenix Mars Lander did everything it was supposed to do as it descended to the Martian surface and made a pinpoint landing on Sunday, May 25, 2008. The $420 million NASA mission is now poised to become a detective in its search for possible past life on Mars.
Although dubbed the “Seven Minutes of Terror” the descent into the Martian atmosphere and the landing onto its surface turned out to be the “Seven Minutes of Perfection.”
After making the dangerous but safe descent and landing onto Mars, the final big question to be answered by mission controllers back on Earth, 171 million miles (275 million kilometers) away, was whether its solar arrays would deploy.
The completely extended solar arrays are necessary to provide power to the spacecraft during its next three-month mission on Mars.
Based on images taken by the spacecraft and relayed back to its control center at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California, United States, its two circular solar arrays were deployed successfully. When fully extended each solar array is 18 feet (5.5-meter) wide.
Phoenix sends back data through the use of UHF (ultra-high frequency) radio signals sent directly from its communications system onboard, but also from relays of other probes (such as Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and 2001 Mars Odyssey) orbiting the planet.
Phoenix will use many devices to search for previous life in the northern polar region of Mars. The probe contains a 7.7-foot (2.3-meter) robotic arm to dig into the permafrost of the extremely cold arctic tundra in which it has landed.
The robotic arm will provide samples to other instruments for analysis.
The arm will dig under the frozen surface surrounding its landing site in order to reach ice located just underground. Unlike the two Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, which are still operating on Mars, Phoenix does not move around, but is fixed at its landing position.
After grabbing up a scoop load of ice, the arm will deposit it into the science instruments for analysis. This information will then be relayed back to the Phoenix Mars Mission Science Operations Center at the University of Arizona, Tucson, to determine, for instance, if microbial life ever existed on the planet.
For at least ninety-two days the Phoenix Lander will use its many instruments and devices to search for past life on the planet and to analyze physical characteristics of Mars.
Please read on for additional information on its instruments. Plus, watch a video of Phoenix mission controllers seconds before the landing of the spacecraft.
