modern exploration mars phoenix lander “the phoenix has risen!” - peter smith, august 4, 2007
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Modern ExplorationPhoenix
Objectives: Study the history of water in the Martian arctic Search for evidence of a habitable zone and assess the
biological potential of the ice-soil boundary
Modern ExplorationPhoenix
Launched August 4, 2007; landed on May 25, 2008 on the northern arctic plains
Operated for ~6 months; unlike the MER rovers, Phoenix had no chance of surviving more than 6-7 months
First Mars mission run by a university – University of Arizona
Modern ExplorationPhoenix
Instruments: Surface Stereo Imager (SSI); surface images Thermal & Evolved Gas Analyzer (TEGA); organics detection Microscopy, Electrochemistry, and Conductivity Analyzer
(MECA); wet chemistry lab Robotic Arm (RA); sampling & imaging; rasp tool Robotic Arm Camera (RAC); imaging RA scoop before dumping
samples, imaging below the lander deck Meteorological Station (MET); daily weather, first LIDAR on Mars Mars Descent Imager (MARDI); take images as Phoenix was
descending
Modern ExplorationPhoenix
All images courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/Texas A&M University
Modern ExplorationPhoenix
NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/Texas A&M University
NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona
Modern ExplorationPhoenix
Notable results from Phoenix Confirmation of Odyssey/GRS measurements of subsurface
water-ice Detection of falling snow Perchlorate (toxic) found in the soils; caused the soil to be
surprisingly sticky, very similar to soils in the Antarctic Dry Valleys
Modern ExplorationPhoenix
How did Phoenix advance scientific understanding of Mars? Science is on-going
What technological advance(s) did Phoenix carry? LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging)
Future Exploration
What are the big questions that will guide future investigations of Mars? Did life ever evolve on Mars? And, if so, does it still persist in
the near- or deep-subsurface? How does one reconcile the growing evidence that the
ancient valley networks of Mars were formed by rainfall yet early Martian climate models fail to produce conditions suitable for water to exist as a liquid?
Did early Mars have a northern ocean? Was the detection of methane in the Martian atmosphere real
or the product of observational error? If real, what is the source of that methane?
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