Phoenix diary: Mission to Mars

[Rick]

On 4 August, the US space agency (Nasa) is due to launch a mission to the surface of Mars called Phoenix.

Dr Tom Pike, from Imperial College London, is writing a diary of his experiences as a team member working on the Phoenix project in America.

See http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6914836.stm

[Rick]

NASA's Phoenix mission lifted off successfully from Cape Canaveral this weekend, beginning its nine month journey through space to the red planet.

The probe, which will dig into the Martian surface to probe for signs of water, is expected to reach its destination in May or June next year.

More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/08/06/phoenix_launch/

[mickw]

Three Mars spacecraft are adjusting their orbits to be over the right place at the right time to listen to NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander as it enters the Martian atmosphere on May 25.
Every landing on Mars is difficult. Having three orbiters track Phoenix as it streaks through Mars' atmosphere will set a new standard for coverage of critical events during a robotic landing. The data stream from Phoenix will be relayed to Earth throughout the spacecraft's entry, descent and landing events. If all goes well, the flow of information will continue for one minute after touchdown.

More:  http://spaceflightnow.com:80/news/n0802/28phoenix/

[Rick]

NASA has adjusted the flight path of its Phoenix Mars Lander, en route to a planned touch-down on the Red Planet on 25 May, on its mission to explore the body's Arctic plain.

The agency has "conditionally approved" a roughly 62 mile by 12 mile (100km by 20km) "landing ellipse" in an area dubbed "Green Valley", which lies at approximately 68 degrees N, 233 degrees E, having scoured High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) images of the area for potential hazards.

More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/04/11/phoenix_landing_site/

[mickw]

NASA's Mars-bound Phoenix spacecraft is gearing up for a landmark landing near the martian north pole this month to find out whether the region could have once supported microbial life.
Phoenix is on course for a planned May 25 touchdown in the martian arctic that, if successful, will mark the first powered landing on Mars since NASA's hefty Viking 2 lander set down in 1976. But first, the probe is expected to fire its thrusters several times in the next few weeks to fine-tune its flight path.

"It's scary how smooth it's been," said Barry Goldstein, Phoenix project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif. "The vehicle has just been behaving beautifully."

More :  http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/080501-mars-phoenix-preview.html

[Rick]

NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander is on its final approach for a slated touch-down on the Red Planet's Arctic region on 25 May amid a certain amount of nail-biting as to whether it will survive the landing.

Ed Weiler, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, admitted yesterday: "This is not a trip to grandma's house. Putting a spacecraft safely on Mars is hard and risky. Internationally, fewer than half the attempts have succeeded."

More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/05/14/phoenix_update/

Nasa: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/phoenix/main/index.html

[Rick]

Scientists are preparing for "seven minutes of terror" as a Nasa spacecraft makes a nail-biting descent to the surface of Mars.

The Phoenix lander will begin its plunge through the Martian atmosphere on 25 May (GMT) as it attempts to land in the planet's polar north.

The craft needs to perform a series of challenging manoeuvres along the way.

It then begins a three-month mission to investigate Mars' geological history and potential habitability.

More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7399226.stm

[Rick]

NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander is looking good for a Sunday touch-down on the Red Planet, with all systems "nominal and stable", according to the agency.

Phoenix is, however, currently "closing in on the scariest seven minutes of the mission" when it must decelerate from 13,000mph (21,000km/h) to just 5mph (8km/h) using a combination of "superheated friction with the atmosphere, a strong parachute and a set of pulsing retrorockets" to achieve a gentle landing.

More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/05/23/phoenix_update/

NASA: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/phoenix/main/index.html

APOD: http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap080525.html

Phoenix Diary on BBC News: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7408033.stm

[Rick]

The US space agency Nasa has landed a spacecraft on the surface of Mars.

The Mars Phoenix lander touched down late on Sunday GMT in the far north of the Red Planet, after a 680-million-km (423-million-mile) journey from Earth.

More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7411113.stm

[mickw]

What a terrible piece of reporting

"The Mars Phoenix lander touched down late on Sunday GMT in the far north of the Red Planet, after a 680-million-km (423-million-mile) journey from Earth"

Then

"If all goes to plan, the Phoenix lander will reach the surface of Mars at 2353 GMT on 25 May (1953 EDT; 0053 BST on 26 May)"

[Rick]

I did post the link within five minutes or so of the report from NASA confirming Phoenix had landed. I'd guess the report was in a half-updated state. The report has been modified significantly since then to include some of the first images from the surface, so it's worth re-reading now.

See also: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/in_pictures/7419763.stm

Of course NASA's own site has the news first.

See: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/phoenix/main/index.html

[mickw]

Looking good, can't wait for the science 

[Rick]

Check this image of Phoenix parachuting in, as seen from Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter:

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/phoenix/images/press/PHX_Lander.html

[RobertM]

That's pretty amazing ...

[mickw]

PASADENA, Calif. — A spacecraft orbiting Mars has photographed the Phoenix Mars Lander on the surface of the red planet, NASA scientists announced today.

More:  http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/080527-phoenix-mars-update.html