Mission To Mars - Phoenix Mars Lander
As of this writing, the Phoenix Mars Lander is on its 88th day of digging and gathering of soil samples on the red planet.
The main purpose of the mission is to gather soil samples and water ice, which is abundant beneath the surface of the north arctic of Mars, in order to determine whether Mars is habitable or if it has harbored life before and to study the history of water on the planet which is important in order to know its past climate and future weather conditions.
The samples will undergo sophisticated chemical experiments in order to assess its life-giving elements such nitrogen, phosphorus, hydrogen and carbon.
Liquid water does not presently exist on the surface of Mars but the canyons suggest that water once flowed on the red planet.
EQUIPMENTS
The Phoenix Mars Lander packs sophisticated equipments that will be used to analyze the samples.
- Surface Stereoscopic Imager - The eyes of the phoenix. Situated on top of the Mars lander, it provides 3D images that helps the Phoenix team choose a dig site.
- Solar Array - A pair of 18-ft wide solar array used to convert solar radiation to electricity. This provides the much needed power to the Mars lander.
- Microscopy, Electrochemistry and Conductivity Analyzer (MECA) - Has 4 tools that will be used to examine soil. Three of which will be used to analyze soil samples scooped by the arm and the fourth one, which is located near the end of the arm, will be used to examine the electrical conductivity of the soil.
- Thermal and Evolved-Gas Analyzer (TEGA) - Used to heat samples and study the substances that turned into gas. Determines whether the samples contain organic compounds and it also helps scientists determine the properties of the Martian soil.
- Meteorological Station - Determines daily weather and seasonal changes with the use of temperature and pressure sensors and laser reflection instrument.
- Robotic Arm - Used to collect samples. Can dig about 20 inches deep and deliver the samples to other instruments.
One of the challenges that faced the mission was it EDL or Entry, Descent, and Landing since the Phoenix will be entering Mars’ atmosphere at 12,500mph and it will take only 7 minutes before it touches the ground. The challenge was, how to get the phoenix from 12,500mph to a screeching halt and land safely on the ground in 7 minutes.
Here’s a video of how the EDL phase was addressed.
And the good news is, the Phoenix Mars Lander landed on Mars safely on May 5, 2008. Here’s a video of the suspenseful moment as aired on CNN.
The mission is successful and the Phoenix is now in the process of collecting data in order to fulfill its objectives.
The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.