NASA attempts to wake up frozen Phoenix spacecraft

William Atkins
Tuesday, 12 January 2010 23:19

Science - Space

After the Phoenix Mars Lander ended its last transmission from Mars on November 8, 2008, the robotic explorer sank into a frozen hibernation. NASA wasn’t expecting it to survive the harsh Martian winter, but the U.S. space agency will make several valiant attempts to recover the valuable spacecraft.


Beginning on January 18, 2010, NASA managers with the Phoenix Mars Lander mission will begin 'wake-up' transmissions from the 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft, which is orbiting around Mars.

The transmission from Odyssey will hopefully be heard by the sleeping Phoenix spacecraft, and it will transmit back a response to the orbiter above it.

Phoenix has been unmoving, uncommunicating for about fifteen (Earth) months, during the terribly cold, icy months on the north hemisphere of the planet Mars. A Martian year is about 687 Earth days.

The spacecraft lost power back in November 2008, while exploring the Arctic Plain on Mars.[Corrected from November 2009 to November 2008 (also in first paragraph): author, 1-12-2010]

At that time, insufficient sunlight was present to impinge on its solar arrays, which were becoming increasingly ice coated from the cold that was creeping into the Arctic region of Mars.

Without sufficient electrical energy generated from the solar array, the Phoenix spacecraft shut down.

Previous to shutting down, however, the spacecraft operated for about five months, digging up the Martian soil while searching for water ice.

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