Phoenix surface mission

StrandedonEarthsince1970 · May 26, 2008

The local radio station (Rock101) was proud to announce the successful landing of Phoenix on Mars, carrying a Canadian-made weather station. They also had a scoop: The first weather report from Mars, as follows: Today: Isolated dust clouds, and cold, unbreathable atmosphere. Tomorrow: Isolated dust clouds, and cold, unbreathable atmosphereLong range, three hundred year forecast:        (wait for it )       Isolated dust clouds, and cold, unbreathable atmosphere...  I'm sure the people from Winnipeg can relate... <img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/content/scripts/tinymce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-smile.gif" border="0" alt="Smile" title="Smile" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Now where on Earth did I park my UFO? </div>

Andrey992 · May 26, 2008

I have been wondering about something, if polar ice caps would melt, by how much air pressure would rise? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

one_billy · May 26, 2008

Boris_Badenov · May 26, 2008

More Life Found <img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/1/13/f161fa6d-0499-4732-8d85-1128e603e2ec.Medium.jpg" alt="" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <div align="center">. </div><div align="center">Never roll in the mud with a pig. You'll both get dirty & the pig likes it.</div> </div>

thor06 · May 26, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>More Life Found Posted by boris1961</DIV> Too funny.... I love the weather forecast also...lol  <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> www.watchnasatv.com ONE PERCENT FOR NASA! </div>

fortytwo · May 26, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>More Life Found Posted by boris1961</DIV> I do believe they eat the Blueberries.

EricG · May 26, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>But checkout the most recent images; still pouring in Posted by Philotas</DIV>Hm.  I think they're done pouring in now.  I haven't seen any new ones for a while.  I was expecting more. Surely with a 128 Kb link with Odyssey they can achieve better.  Are they holding out the good pictures until the presser tomorrow at 11am Pacific time?  Or maybe we've become spoiled.

danieloneil01 · May 27, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Hm.  I think they're done pouring in now.  I haven't seen any new ones for a while.  I was expecting more. Surely with a 128 Kb link with Odyssey they can achieve better.  Are they holding out the good pictures until the presser tomorrow at 11am Pacific time?  Or maybe we've become spoiled. Posted by EricG</DIV> So that's basically the speed they have to download images being uploaded by the lander?  If so that's such a downer.  I thought by now we could stream or send higher amounts of data.

efron_24 · May 27, 2008

Well.. that crater rim... hmmmI am sure there are some people who wished there was a rover now... or the possibility to start up the engines and hop over to that place..Can't wait for the press-converence tonight  <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

EricG · May 27, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>So that's basically the speed they have to download images being uploaded by the lander?  If so that's such a downer.  I thought by now we could stream or send higher amounts of data. Posted by danieloneil01</DIV> I'm not sure where the bottle neck lies.  Either between Phoenix and Odyssey, or Odyssey and Earth.  The team this morning said they had achieved a 128 kilobit transmission link between Phoenix and Odyssey, and seemed very happy with that.  I'm guessing in a 24-hour period Pheonix and Odyssey can communicate for maybe 15 minutes.(128 kilobits / second) * (1024 bits / kilobit) / (8 bits / byte) = 16384 bytes / second15 minutes * (60 seconds / minute) = 900 seconds900 seconds * (16384 bytes / second) = 14,745,600 bytesthat's about 14 MB download from Phoenix per day.  I'm not sure what the transmission overhead (protocol framing, error correction, etc.) might subtract out of that.If our lucky SDC press conference rep could, it'd be excellent question to ask the team.  How many MB of data can we download from Pheonix each Earth day?

3488 · May 27, 2008

A few more. This is more like it.Frost on footpad.http://img242.imageshack.us/my.php?image=frostonfootpadsol2lb1.jpg <img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/15/1/4f4da755-5c99-40b9-91ac-5393e595a243.Medium.jpg" alt="" />Crater rim or hills on horizon.http://img242.imageshack.us/my.php?image=phoenixsol23py6.jpg <img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/6/10/06764b35-fdba-41ea-ba0f-62c910fdb30b.Medium.jpg" alt="" />Looking over Phoenix.http://img386.imageshack.us/my.php?image=phoenixsol24yj8.jpg <img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/8/0/a8579da0-4764-42d7-80e5-c4f7103824cf.Medium.jpg" alt="" />Crater rim or hills. Patch of exposed ice?http://img527.imageshack.us/my.php?image=phoenixsol25of9.jpg <img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/11/15/1bdbb825-bacc-45c0-bf2a-080225df8342.Medium.jpg" alt="" />Heat Shield or back shell.http://img341.imageshack.us/my.php?image=heatshieldphoenixsd0.jpg <img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/6/7/26fa8be4-ec82-4b8b-9765-f584c7dfdf93.Medium.jpg" alt="" />Andrew Brown. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before". Linda Morabito on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.http://www.launchphotography.com/ http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearthhttp://web.me.com/meridianijournal </div>

cello · May 27, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'> Frost on footpad. http://img242.imageshack.us/my.php?image=frostonfootpadsol2lb1.jpg</DIV> really? what should be humidity in the atmosphere to form such frost? if it's really frost, then how it could affect instruments in longterm? cameras, for example.

derekmcd · May 27, 2008

Anyone on the "Messages from Earth" disc onboard the phoenix?http://fawkes4.lpl.arizona.edu/images.php?gID=532&cID=8 <img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/12/4/8c6de55f-fc5c-4b44-b494-face1c7913b9.Medium.jpg" alt="" />You can see it crystal clear on the higher rez images.  <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <div> </div> <div>"If something's hard to do, then it's not worth doing." - Homer Simpson</div> </div>

derekmcd · May 27, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Frost on footpad. Posted by 3488</DIV>You sure that's frost on the foot pad?  Might it just be reflected sunlight off the dust?  <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <div> </div> <div>"If something's hard to do, then it's not worth doing." - Homer Simpson</div> </div>

Hiro2008 · May 27, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>More Life Found Posted by boris1961</DIV> Do they use English? : )  <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

JonClarke · May 27, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>So that's basically the speed they have to download images being uploaded by the lander?  If so that's such a downer.  I thought by now we could stream or send higher amounts of data. Posted by danieloneil01</DIV>People are spoiled so quickly.  It took days to get images in the old days, andd only  Few were easily accessed by the public. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Whether we become a multi-planet species with unlimited horizons, or are forever confined to Earth will be decided in the twenty-first century amid the vast plains, rugged canyons and lofty mountains of Mars Arthur Clarke </div>

JonClarke · May 27, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Well.. that crater rim... hmmmI am sure there are some people who wished there was a rover now... or the possibility to start up the engines and hop over to that place..Can't wait for the press-converence tonight  Posted by efron_24</DIV>Not me.  A rover probably wouldd not reach those hills in time.  A rover would not be ideal to do the work that Phoenix is designed to do. Jon <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Whether we become a multi-planet species with unlimited horizons, or are forever confined to Earth will be decided in the twenty-first century amid the vast plains, rugged canyons and lofty mountains of Mars Arthur Clarke </div>

efron_24 · May 27, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Not me.  A rover probably wouldd not reach those hills in time.  A rover would not be ideal to do the work that Phoenix is designed to do. Jon Posted by jonclarke</DIV>Next time

I agree with you about the images.. in the days of Viking it took much longer.And what we got is already great material    <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

Philotas · May 27, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>really? what should be humidity in the atmosphere to form such frost? if it's really frost, then how it could affect instruments in longterm? cameras, for example. Posted by cello</DIV> I don't know if that is frost or not; but we have seen frost at earlier missions, we saw it on the Viking 2 landing site and we saw it on Opportunity's colour calibration target(picture four). <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

Philotas · May 27, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>One of the things that has intruiged me about the landing site, aside from those shallow little troughs, are these:It looks like chunks of rock moved - at least in one section, in what looks like relatively loose topsoil   Posted by fractionofadot</DIV> I noticed that also; and if you look at top, near the lander, in this image, you'll see that one rock looks like it got "dragged" around. The first image as well as the one of the foot pads were menitioned at the press briefing as indicating that there should be no problems digging in this soil. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

3488 · May 27, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>really? what should be humidity in the atmosphere to form such frost? if it's really frost, then how it could affect instruments in longterm? cameras, for example.Posted by cello[/Quote]Good point cello. To me that was what it looked like, what looked like a fairly uniform light coating, so probably jumping the gun a bit there. It was suggested that the maximum temperature is minus 33 Celsius in the Sun (approx 7 C warmer than expected). It will be very interesting when the actual readings are through. The Sun is currently circumplolar from the Phoenix site, dipping to about 2 degrees above the northern horizon @ midnight, so I wonder what the temperature is at that point? Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>You sure that's frost on the foot pad?  Might it just be reflected sunlight off the dust?Posted by derekmcd</DIV> Hi Derek, I was not 100% sure, but to me @ the time, it looked the most likely explanation for what appeared to be a fairly uniform light coating on the footpad & support leg. Of course a light toned dust will have exactly the same effect.Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Not me.  A rover probably wouldd not reach those hills in time.  A rover would not be ideal to do the work that Phoenix is designed to do. Jon Posted by jonclarke</DIV>I'm with you on this Jon. I cannot believe that some people are already moaning (sol 2). Phoenix IS a superb craft, well built, superbly engineered & with an incredible mission team @ NASA controlling the mission. A lot of people campaigned against the cancellation of this mission (yours truly here included) were as you can see, successful with the petitioning, to give the Mars Surveyor 2001 spacecraft a new mission rather than languish in a museum, going nowhere, doing nothing & contributing nothing to the long term investment of human knowledge.I for one am absolutely delighted, over the Moon, or over Mars in this case, with Phoenix & how the mission is going. We are going to learn SO much about the northern high latitudes of Mars in general & of the landing site in particular, the cycles of long term Martian meterology, was this area an ancient sea bed, was there ever life here, did the rotational axis of Mars vary much more than now (some scientists reckon so).Was the atmosphere much denser, did it ever rain here during Mars's youth, not to mention we will have detailed surface views of another location (no 6) on the Red Planet & the highest latitude to date (at approx 68 degrees 12' N), far more northerly then the previous record holder, Viking 2 (at approx 48 deg N). Was this part of Scandia Colles an ancient sea bed?  There is also a good chance (though not guaranteed) that Phoenix will last well past 90 sols & we'll see the onset of Autumn (if Phoenix is still operating in January 2009), though off course we will not have the longevity of the Viking Landers (RTG powered) or the MERs (in the tropics), due to the location & the Winter Sun fails to rise here at all (not much good for a solar powered craft needless to say).It is a great shame that some people are moaning. Andrew Brown. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before". Linda Morabito on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.http://www.launchphotography.com/ http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearthhttp://web.me.com/meridianijournal </div>

bearack · May 27, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>   Posted by 3488</DIV> Okay Andrew and Meteor.  Time to hone your coloring skills.  We need some false color ..... <img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/content/scripts/tinymce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-sealed.gif" border="0" alt="Sealed" title="Sealed" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <img id="06322a8d-f18d-4ab1-8ea7-150275a4cb53" src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/6/14/06322a8d-f18d-4ab1-8ea7-150275a4cb53.Large.jpg" alt="blog post photo" /> </div>

3488 · May 27, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Anyone on the "Messages from Earth" disc onboard the phoenix?http://fawkes4.lpl.arizona.edu/images.php?gID=532&cID=8 You can see it crystal clear on the higher rez images.  Posted by derekmcd</DIV>Hi Derek, I am. Number: 1005747. Andrew Brown. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> "I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before". Linda Morabito on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.http://www.launchphotography.com/ http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearthhttp://web.me.com/meridianijournal </div>

abq_farside · May 27, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Hm.  I think they're done pouring in now.  I haven't seen any new ones for a while.  I was expecting more. Surely with a 128 Kb link with Odyssey they can achieve better.  Are they holding out the good pictures until the presser tomorrow at 11am Pacific time?  Or maybe we've become spoiled. Posted by EricG</DIV> I do not believe they have done any hi-res pictures yet.  I think they wanted to get a 360 panorama done today.How often does Odyssey make a pass over to enable uploads/downloads?  I would have thought it would have been more than once or twice a SOL or so.  I think I recall them saying that they use one pass for uploads and one pass for downloads.  Anybody recall anything like that? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Don't let who you are keep you from becoming who you want to be! </div>

efron_24 · May 27, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'> It is a great shame that some people are moaning. Andrew Brown. Posted by 3488</DIV> Interesting answers.For the record. When wishing there was a Rover I was not moaning.. grin.Just extremely curious.. (and sad that I do not have the life expecticy of another 20 years with a history of nasty disseases)So.. I am extremely happy with Phoenix, I will watch every Press converence, like I watch the Rover. MRO, Mars Express (etc) sites on an almost daily basis .. and no moaning here.. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

Phoenix surface mission

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