# NASA/JPL Phoenix Mars Lander



## syscom3 (May 25, 2008)

All looks good for this afternoons landing.

Jet Propulsion Laboratory

Phoenix


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## Lucky13 (May 25, 2008)

Wonder if there'll be any wee green men greeting it at arrival...?


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## syscom3 (May 25, 2008)

Lucky13 said:


> Wonder if there'll be any wee green men greeting it at arrival...?



With NASA's luck, the lander will drop on top of them.


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## RabidAlien (May 25, 2008)

Footage from the last Mars lander:


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## syscom3 (May 25, 2008)




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## Matt308 (May 25, 2008)

This is the one with the retro-parachutes right? And not the inflatable balls surrounding the lander? I can't remember.


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## johnbr (May 25, 2008)

Yes it is whit luck this one not turn the retro off at 30ft like the south pole one.


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## syscom3 (May 25, 2008)

DAMN!!!!

The thing landed OK!

Good job JPL!


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## pbfoot (May 25, 2008)

Amazing work USA


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## Lucky13 (May 26, 2008)

*Spacecraft reveals look at Mars' polar region *
By ALICIA CHANG, AP Science Writer 
19 minutes ago


PASADENA, Calif. - NASA's newest outpost in the solar system is a polygon-cracked terrain in Mars' northern polar region believed to hold a reservoir of ice beneath. 

Hours after the Phoenix Mars Lander softly landed Sunday in the Martian arctic plains, it dazzled scientists with the first-ever glimpse of the Red Planet's high northern latitudes.

A flood of images sent back by Phoenix revealed a landscape similar to what can be found in Earth's permafrost regions — geometric patterns in the soil likely related to the freezing and thawing of ground ice.

"This is a scientist's dream, right here on this landing site," principal investigator Peter Smith of the University of Arizona, Tucson said in a post-landing news conference.

Phoenix landed on Mars after a 10-month, 422 million-mile journey. After a week checking out its science instruments, the lander will begin a 90-day digging mission to study whether the northern polar region possesses the raw ingredients needed for life to emerge.

Phoenix joins the twin rovers on the Martian surface, which have been exploring the equatorial plains since 2004. Unlike the mobile rovers, Phoenix was designed to stay in one spot and dig trenches in the soil.

Early indications show the lander is healthy, said Barry Goldstein, project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The images confirm the lander unfurled its solar panels, hoisted its weather mast and unwrapped the protective covering of its 8-foot-long robotic arm. It'll be several days before the arm will be unstowed.

"Everything just worked like a charm," said Goldstein, who kept up a JPL tradition by passing out bags of lucky peanuts on landing day.

Mission control erupted in cheers when a radio signal from Phoenix was detected after a hair-raising plunge through the atmosphere that required the lander to slow itself down from over 12,000 mph to a 5 mph touchdown using a combination of friction, parachute and thrusters.

Mission managers pumped their fists and hugged one another after the confirmation signal was received.

"They will be remembered forever that they are the first people to explore the polar region of Mars. There's no telling what discoveries would be seen over the next 90 days," said JPL director Charles Elachi.

It's the first successful soft landing on Mars since the twin Viking landers touched down in 1976. Rovers Spirit and Opportunity used a combination of parachutes and cushioned air bags to bounce to the surface four years ago.

Phoenix avoided the fate of another polar explorer, the Mars Polar Lander, which crashed into the Martian south pole after prematurely shutting off its engines in 1999. Phoenix inherited the hardware of a lander that was canceled after the Polar Lander disaster and carried similar instruments flown on the ill-fated 1999 mission.

Phoenix's descent was nearly flawless. The only unexpected turn occurred when it opened its parachute seven seconds later than planned, causing the spacecraft to settle slightly downrange from the bull's-eye target, said Ed Sedivy, program manager at Lockheed Martin Corp., which built the spacecraft.

Phoenix planted its three legs in a broad, shallow valley littered with pebble-size rocks that should not pose any hazard to the spacecraft, project managers said.

"I know it looks a little like a parking lot, but that's a safe place to land. There's not any big rocks," Smith said.

During its prime mission, Phoenix will dig through layers of soil to reach the ice, believed to be buried inches to a foot deep. It will study whether the ice melted during a time in Mars' recent past and will analyze soil samples for traces of organic compounds, which would be a possible indicator of conditions favorable for primitive life. Phoenix is not equipped to detect past or present alien life.

The $420 million Phoenix mission is led by University of Arizona and managed by JPL.

Phoenix Mars Mission - Home


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## Wayne Little (May 26, 2008)

8) Cool stuff!!


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## Matt308 (May 26, 2008)

423million miles for that trip. Quite amazing.


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## A4K (May 27, 2008)

You said it Matt! Congratulations to them, must have been some work.


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## syscom3 (May 28, 2008)

This picture is incredible.

Simply amazing at the progress from the first hi res images of Mars from Mariner 9 in 1972, to now.


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