Successful New Landing on Mars

gotta' git me summa dat reel wata'!

To think, all these years, I've been settling for generic brand product.
K
O

NASA Phoenix Mission Conducting Extended Activities On Mars

August 29, 2008 --- NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander, having completed its 90-day primary mission, is continuing its science collection activities. Science and engineering teams are looking forward to at least another month of Martian exploration.

Due to the spacecraft's sufficient power and experiment capacity, NASA announced on July 31 that the mission would continue operations through Sept. 30. Once the lander finishes collecting science data, the mission teams will continue the analysis of the measurements and observations.

"We have been successful beyond my wildest dreams, and we're not done yet learning from Mars about its secrets," said Peter Smith, Phoenix principal investigator from the University of Arizona, Tucson.

"We are still working to understand the properties and the history of the ice at our landing site on the northern plains of Mars. While the sun has begun to dip below the horizon, we still have power to continue our observations and experiments. And we're hoping to see a gradual change in the Martian weather in the next few weeks," he said.

Among the critical questions the Phoenix science team is trying to answer is whether the northern region of Mars could have been a habitable zone.

Phoenix has already confirmed the presence of water ice, determined the soil is alkaline and identified magnesium, sodium, potassium, chloride and perchlorate in the soil. Chemical analyses continue even as Phoenix's robotic arm reaches out for more samples to sniff and taste.

"It's been gratifying to be able to share the excitement of our exploration with the public through the thousands upon thousands of images that our cameras have taken. They have been available to the public on our web site as soon as they are received on Earth," Smith said. Phoenix's Surface Stereo Imager, Robotic Arm Camera and microscope have returned more than 20,000 pictures since landing day, May 25.

The mission's meteorological instruments have made daily atmospheric readings and have watched as the pressure decreases, signaling a change in the season. At least one ice water cloud has been observed and consistent wind patterns have been recorded over the landing site.

The team is currently working to diagnose an intermittent interference that has become apparent in the path for gases generated by heating a soil sample in the Thermal and Evolved-Gas Analyzer to reach the instrument's mass spectrometer. Vapors from all samples baked to high temperatures have reached the mass spectrometer so far, however data has shown that the gas flow has been erratic, which is puzzling the scientists.

Meanwhile, plans call for Phoenix to widen its deepest trench, called "Stone Soup," to scoop a fresh sample of soil from that depth for analysis in the wet chemistry laboratory of the Microscopy, Electrochemistry and Conductivity Analyzer (MECA). Stone Soup measures about 18 centimeters (7 inches) deep. The first attempt to collect a sample from Stone Soup, on Aug. 26, got 2 to 3 cubic centimeters (half a teaspoon) into the scoop. This was judged to be not quite enough, so delivering a sample was deferred.

In coming days the team also plans to have Phoenix test a revised method for handling a sample rich in water-ice. Two such samples earlier stuck inside the scoop

http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSTRE48S7R520080929

If it's snowing, then I guess there really is water on mars. Seems like they didn't have to dig.

That's very clever of you ros. Who would have thought of that? And only risking guessing too. A bit wimpy is that don't you think?

I wonder if they will seek to revive the lander in the summer. Not likely to work, perhaps, except the Rovers are still going. It seems possible to me.

They didn't say it was necessarily "water" snow. It could be "dry ice" carbon dioxide snow perhaps.

Then I wish they would be more specific. It seems like an important difference given that water is the key issue on mars.

Thanks for the story, Edgar. Interesting. I wonder what land prices are going for?

Thank you, reyn (I made it all up, however).

Feel free to use my global disclaimer.

30, 2008
NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander went into an inactive "safe mode" late Tuesday triggered by deteriorating weather conditions. The spacecraft also unexpectedly switched to its second set of redundant electronics and shut down one of its batteries.

As the Martian northern hemisphere, where Phoenix landed on May 25, transitions from summer to fall, the amount of sunlight available to the lander has dwindled and temperatures at Phoenix's landing site have been steadily dropping.

The spacecraft's declining health is no surprise to mission managers, who had planned way in advance for this seasonal change. Phoenix's primary mission ended in late August.

"This is a precarious time for Phoenix," said Phoenix Project Manager Barry Goldstein of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. "We're in the bonus round of the extended mission, and we're aware that the end could come at any time. The engineering team is doing all it can to keep the spacecraft alive and collecting science, but at this point survivability depends on some factors out of our control, such as the weather and temperatures on Mars."

In recent days, temperatures have fallen significantly, dipping down overnight to minus 141 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 96 degrees Celsius) and only reaching minus 50 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 45 degrees Celsius) during the day, the lowest temperatures so far for the mission. This weather brought on a "low-power fault" on Phoenix, presumably a failure that the spacecraft detected and responded to by entering its power-saving safe mode.

To make matters worse, a mild dust storm blowing through Phoenix's north polar landing site, along with accumulating water-ice clouds in the atmosphere, has reduced the amount of sunlight reaching the spacecraft, further hindering recent attempts to keep it up and running for as long as possible.

Phoenix has been operating in the Martian arctic for more than five months, digging up samples of dirt and rock-hard subsurface water ice and analyzing them for signs of past potential habitability. Phoenix finished gathering its remaining samples last week.

All of the lander's science activities have been put on hold for the next several days to allow the spacecraft to recharge and conserve power. Mission controllers won't try to resume normal operations before the weekend.

The ability to communicate with the lander has not been affected, but the team decided to cancel communication sessions on Wednesday morning in order to conserve power.

On Tuesday, the mission announced plans to turn off four of the spacecraft's heaters, one at a time, to conserve power for the remainder of the mission. The low-power faults late on Tuesday prompted engineers to shut down two heaters instead of one as originally planned.

One of those heaters warmed the electronics for Phoenix's robotic arm, robotic-arm camera, and Thermal and Evolved-Gas Analyzer, which bakes samples and analyzes the vapors given off to determine the samples' composition. The second heater served the lander's pyrotechnic initiation unit, which hasn't been used since landing.

Mars Lander Pronounced Dead, Despite "Lazarus Mode"Anne Minard
for National Geographic News

November 10, 2008
After five fruitful months, the Phoenix Mars Lander is believed to have sent its last dispatch to Earth, said NASA scientists who announced the end of the mission Monday.

There is a slight chance, though, that the lander's energy-saving "Lazarus mode" could allow Phoenix to be rise again after the long Martian winter, albeit in a limited capacity.


The craft might have lasted till December, but frigid temperatures and lack of sunlight, largely due to a dust storm, are draining the lander's solar-powered batteries, perhaps permanently.

Researchers haven't heard a peep from the craft since November 2.

every space mission in history has been a huge joke. the only people who believe this nonsense are retarted.

Ned Ludd Lives!

Do you think a new landing on Mars will effect house prices fm?

Since we have now new landing on Mars, what about the living there is it possible?

If you can get there, healthy and with enough supplies and equipment, it is my guess you could live there.

Thank you. Just curious, because some of my friends told me that in Mars no one can ever live. Unlike here on earth. It is possible too that plants and animals can live there?

The people who go there will have no air to breathe, except what they provide for themselves. They would need airtight homes and clothing to venture outside.

Viking I, on July 20th of 1975 (Which, incidently was the 6th anniversary of the lunar landing)