Armed & ready: Phoenix prepares for 1st Mars assignment

William Atkins
Friday, 30 May 2008 21:18

Science - Space

As of Wednesday, the weather in the area, according to meteorological equipment onboard Phoenix was sunny, with only a moderate amount of dust in the air.

According to Canadian aerospace engineer James A. Whiteway, York University (Toronto, Canada), the leader of the science team for the Canadian-built meteorological equipment, the highest temperature for the day was -22 degrees Fahrenheit (-30 degrees Celsius), while its lowest temperature was -112 degrees Fahrenheit (-80 degrees Celsius).

The first assignment for the robotic arm of Phoenix, in the next day or two, will be to use the camera on the end of the arm to study the terrain around the spacecraft and to peek underneath of the Lander, itself.

The digging operation will begin next week, after a few days of testing and preliminary activities.

This most important part of the mission will be done to determine the composition of the soil a few inches to about one foot under the surface, and to find out if primitive life ever occurred on the planet.

The mission for the Phoenix Lander is only about three months long. By the time winter comes to the northern Martian plains, the spacecraft will be subjected to bitterly colder temperatures. NASA scientists expect the Phoenix will succumb to the brutally cold temperatures.

A video, which includes audio of the Phoenix Mars Lander descending through the atmosphere of the planet Mars, is found at the Space.com website “Phoenix Speaks.”