Phoenix surface mission

lucaspf · May 27, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>It does, I just hope it gets sorted very quickly.Phoenix on Chute in 20 KM in front of 12 KM wide Heimdall Crater.http://www.photodump.com/Anonymous/Phoenix%20on%20chute%20infront%20of%2012%20KM%20wide%20Heimdall%20Crater%20HiRISE%20MR.htmlShot showing The Sars & Stripes & the Visions of Earth CD ROM. Phoenix.http://www.photodump.com/Anonymous/USA%20Flag%20%20Visions%20of%20Earth%20CD%20rom%20on%20Phoenix%20(sol%202)..htmlAndrew Brown. Posted by 3488</DIV>Phoenix gliding past Heimdall is just breathtaking. Wow. What a feat.  <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

Swampcat · May 27, 2008

OK, I just chopped up the rather large original for these with a little processing. <img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/13/4/0dea86df-efd4-4de1-a441-dc5afb310dbe.Medium.jpg" alt="" /> <img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/2/3/12c479f0-c274-4d66-a317-1007984c1d0e.Medium.jpg" alt="" /> <img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/7/1/57be38f7-0b7b-4621-8154-84f0ed84b094.Medium.jpg" alt="" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> ------------------------------------------------------------------- "I hold it that a little rebellion now and then is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical. Unsuccessful rebellions, indeed, generally establish the encroachments on the rights of the people which have produced them. An observation of this truth should render honest republican governors so mild in their punishment of rebellions as not to discourage them too much. It is a medicine necessary for the sound health of government."Thomas Jefferson </div>

Philotas · May 27, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>That parachute shot with the Heimdall crater in the backgound is nothing short of awesome. I do hope I get my hands on a high-resolution version soon! Posted by Philotas</DIV> Ah, here it is. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/phoenix/images/press/PSP_008579_9020_descent.html <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

Swampcat · May 27, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>That Mars Oddity Freudian slip was funny! Todd HAlberson? Anyway, my new desktop:BTW forgot to mention in scribblenotes this was taken about 20 seconds after chute deployment.  Posted by MeteorWayne</DIV> Hey, MW, got a link for the original? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> ------------------------------------------------------------------- "I hold it that a little rebellion now and then is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical. Unsuccessful rebellions, indeed, generally establish the encroachments on the rights of the people which have produced them. An observation of this truth should render honest republican governors so mild in their punishment of rebellions as not to discourage them too much. It is a medicine necessary for the sound health of government."Thomas Jefferson </div>

3488 · May 27, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'> OK, I just chopped up the rather large original for these with a little processing.  Posted by Swampcat</DIV>Thank you very much Swampcat. I've downloaded them all. <img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/content/scripts/tinymce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-laughing.gif" border="0" alt="Laughing" title="Laughing" />Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>That parachute shot with the Heimdall crater in the backgound is nothing short of awesome. I do hope I get my hands on a high-resolution version soon! <img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/content/scripts/tinymce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-laughing.gif" border="0" alt="Laughing" title="Laughing" />Posted by Philotas</DIV>Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Phoenix gliding past Heimdall is just breathtaking. Wow. What a feat.  Posted by lucaspf</DIV>I agree wiyth you both on this. That is just an absolutely INCREDIBLE picture.Not only is it a visual feast, it is also very important in understanding Phoenix's landing site from a scientific viewpoint. Much of the material Phoenix is sitting on & has imaged, is ejecta from the Heimdall Crater, so getting a brilliant orbital view of Heimdall with the HiRISE on MRO will help immensely.I can see why Wayne has that as his desktop.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>

Swampcat · May 27, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Hey, MW, got a link for the original? Posted by Swampcat</DIV> Uh, never mind, MW.Thanks, Philotas. <img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/content/scripts/tinymce/plugins/emotions/images/smiley-cool.gif" border="0" alt="Cool" title="Cool" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> ------------------------------------------------------------------- "I hold it that a little rebellion now and then is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical. Unsuccessful rebellions, indeed, generally establish the encroachments on the rights of the people which have produced them. An observation of this truth should render honest republican governors so mild in their punishment of rebellions as not to discourage them too much. It is a medicine necessary for the sound health of government."Thomas Jefferson </div>

efron_24 · May 27, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Ah, here it is. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/phoenix/images/press/PSP_008579_9020_descent.html Posted by Philotas</DIV> yikess............. onewhat if it had slammed into that crater.. and tumbled downwow.. that would have been something Yikessss ... two.. what is that on the right of that crater.. looks like something flowed downwards..metling water, dry avalange ?It seems to originate from three clear light points.. That does not seem likely for a dry avalange.and left from the center.... on top of the photo.. is that a wall of Ice ??it went to my desktop too Super image <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

Swampcat · May 27, 2008

<img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/4/10/d46e318b-3724-4354-8a91-687d586b34eb.Medium.jpg" alt="" />And the MRO view of Phoenix on the ground:  <img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/9/13/09345c74-49dd-4122-bdf5-03540d655822.Medium.jpg" alt="" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> ------------------------------------------------------------------- "I hold it that a little rebellion now and then is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical. Unsuccessful rebellions, indeed, generally establish the encroachments on the rights of the people which have produced them. An observation of this truth should render honest republican governors so mild in their punishment of rebellions as not to discourage them too much. It is a medicine necessary for the sound health of government."Thomas Jefferson </div>

bearack · May 27, 2008

Did anyone else catch the slip of the tongue from the MRO HiRes team when discussing the height of the hills 9 miles away when he said "the hills are 250 meters tall, or 250 yards tall, one in the same"? <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>

MeteorWayne · May 27, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Are you refering to the comparison of 250 meters as the same as 250 yards?  Posted by bearack</DIV> No somebody (I think it was Todd) said Mars "Oddity" instead of Odyssey.Got a small chuckle, I think most missed the irony.... <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id. I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function </div>

MeteorWayne · May 27, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Did anyone else catch the slip of the tongue from the MRO HiRes team when discussing the height of the hills 9 miles away when he said "the hills are 250 meters tall, or 250 yards tall, one in the same"? Posted by bearack</DIV> IIRC, that's not exactly what he said, more like 250 meters is about the same as 250 yards, which is true.It's really pretty funny, PI Pete giving data in english units, and PI Alfred giving them in metric.  <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id. I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function </div>

efron_24 · May 27, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Did anyone else catch the slip of the tongue from the MRO HiRes team when discussing the height of the hills 9 miles away when he said "the hills are 250 meters tall, or 250 yards tall, one in the same"? Posted by bearack</DIV> yes.. that made my heart skip a beat..Next thing you know they will call Heimtall HomeValley.. grin <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

MeteorWayne · May 27, 2008

250 meters = 273.40332458 yards250 yards = 228.6 meters<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"> But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id. I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function </div>

efron_24 · May 27, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>250 meters = 273.40332458 yards Posted by MeteorWayne</DIV> if you have to run it.. you know the difference

Good wrap up of the day's events on space.com <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

bearack · May 27, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>IIRC, that's not exactly what he said, more like 250 meters is about the same as 250 yards, which is true.It's really pretty funny, PI Pete giving data in english units, and PI Alfred giving them in metric.  Posted by MeteorWayne</DIV> WOW, nearly verbatim.  I just figured with a meter only being of .9144 of a yard, that he would have chosen one or the other considering they work on exact science.....metaphorically.  <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>

thor06 · May 27, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>yikess............. onewhat if it had slammed into that crater.. and tumbled downwow.. that would have been something Yikessss ... two.. what is that on the right of that crater.. looks like something flowed downwards..metling water, dry avalange ?It seems to originate from three clear light points.. That does not seem likely for a dry avalange.and left from the center.... on top of the photo.. is that a wall of Ice ??it went to my desktop too Super image Posted by efron_24</DIV> Upon futher examination, there are some interesting features in that crater...makes victoria look like a pot-hole!  side note: They said the ejecta from this crater is what we see littering the ground around the lander.  Anyone think we will see it's rim when the camera swings around? Right direction?  <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> www.watchnasatv.com ONE PERCENT FOR NASA! </div>

abq_farside · May 27, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Ah, here it is. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/phoenix/images/press/PSP_008579_9020_descent.html Posted by Philotas</DIV> What a great shot! <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> Don't let who you are keep you from becoming who you want to be! </div>

3488 · May 27, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'> Upon futher examination, there are some interesting features in that crater...makes victoria look like a pot-hole!  side note: They said the ejecta from this crater is what we see littering the ground around the lander.  Anyone think we will see it's rim when the camera swings around? Right direction?  Posted by thor06</DIV>Damn good question thor06. Heimdall Crater is approx 20 KM to the North East of Phoenix. So far we have not seen that sector yet of the horizon from Phoenix.  Of course it's dependent on how tall the outer S W rim is? I do not know the answer to that question, perhaps someone else here knows? My hunch is that the answer will be no. The outer slope will be very shallow & the actual crater rim will be well over the horizon from Phoenix. Could be wrong though.It's something to look for when we get to see those images.Hi all, I've just received this:MEDIA RELATIONS OFFICE JET PROPULSION LABORATORY CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION PASADENA, CALIF. 91109 TELEPHONE 818-354-5011 http://www.jpl.nasa.gov Guy Webster 818-354-5011 Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. guy.webster@jpl.nasa.gov Dwayne Brown 202-358-1726 NASA Headquarters, Washington                         dwayne.c.brown@nasa.gov Sara Hammond 520-626-1974 University of Arizona, Tucson shammond@lpl.arizona.edu NEWS RELEASE: 2008-084 May 27, 2008 NASA Mars Lander Prepares to Move Arm NASA's Phoenix Lander is ready to begin moving its robotic arm, first unlatching its wrist and then flexing its elbow. Mission scientists are eager to move Phoenix's robotic arm, for that arm will deliver samples of icy terrain to their instruments made to study this unexplored Martian environment. The team sent commands for moving the arm on Tuesday morning, May 27, to NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for relay to Phoenix. However, the orbiter did not relay those commands to the lander, so arm movement and other activities are now planned for Wednesday. The orbiter's communication-relay system is in a standby mode. NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter is available for relaying communications between Earth and Phoenix. NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter did send back spectacular first images of the landed Phoenix from orbit, views from the Phoenix lander of where it will work for the next three months, and a preliminary weather report. A newly processed image from the high-resolution camera known as HiRISE on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter shows a full-resolution view of the Phoenix parachute and lander during its May 25 descent, with Heimdall crater in the background. "Phoenix appears to be descending into the 10 kilometer, or 6-mile, crater, but is actually 20 kilometers, or about 12 miles, in front of the crater," said HiRISE principal investigator Alfred S. McEwen of the University of Arizona, Tucson. HiRISE has taken a new color image of Phoenix on the ground about 22 hours after it landed. It shows the parachute attached to the back shell, the heat shield and the lander itself against red Mars.  The parachute and lander are about 300 meters, roughly 1,000 feet, apart. Commands to be sent to the lander Wednesday morning include taking more pictures of the surroundings and making the first movements of the mission's crucial robotic arm. A covering that had shielded the arm from microbes during its last few months before launch had not fully retracted on landing day, May 25, but it moved farther from the arm during the following day. "The biobarrier had relaxed more and allows more clearance, but it was not a major concern either way," said Fu k Li, manager of the Mars Exploration Program at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. During the next three months, the arm will dig into soil near the lander and deliver samples of soil and ice to laboratory instruments on the lander deck.  Following today's commands, its movements will begin with unlatching the wrist, then moving the arm upwards in a stair-step manner. Phoenix principal investigator Peter Smith of the University of Arizona was delighted with new images of the workspace. "The workspace is ideal for us because it looks very diggable. We're very happy to see just a few rocks scattered in the digging area." The Phoenix weather station, provided by the Canadian Space Agency, was activated within the first hour after landing on Mars, and measurements are now being recorded continuously. The data from the first 18 hours after landing have been transmitted back to the science team, and they have provided a weather report. The temperature ranged between a minimum of minus 80 degrees Celsius (minus 112 degrees Fahrenheit) in the early morning and a maximum of minus 30 degrees Celsius (minus 22 degrees Fahrenheit) in the afternoon. The average pressure was 8.55 millibars, which is less than a hundredth of the sea level pressure on Earth. The wind speed was 20 kilometers per hour (13 miles per hour), out of the northeast. The skies were clear.  More instruments will be activated over the coming days, and the weather report will expand to include measurements of humidity and visibility. Smith presented a new Surface Stereo Imager view of the American flag and a mini-DVD on the Phoenix's deck, about three feet above the Martian surface. The mini-DVD from the Planetary Society contains a message to future Martian explorers, science fiction stories and art inspired by the Red Planet, and the names of more than a quarter million Earthlings. The Phoenix mission is led by Smith at the University of Arizona with project management at JPL and development partnership at Lockheed Martin. International contributions come from the Canadian Space Agency; the University of Neuchatel, Switzerland; the universities of Copenhagen and Aarhus, Denmark; Max Planck Institute, Germany; and the Finnish Meteorological Institute. More Phoenix information is at http://www.nasa.gov/phoenix . -end- 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>

MeteorWayne · May 27, 2008

My scribblenotes aren't as neat, but they are faster

<div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> But the Krell forgot one thing John. Monsters. Monsters from the Id. I really, really, really, really miss the "first unread post" function </div>

efron_24 · May 27, 2008

What do we see in this crater.What is your opinion  <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

3488 · May 27, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>What do we see in this crater.What is your opinion  Posted by efron_24</DIV>Sorry I do not understand? Is there anything we should have noticed????????Below, a blowup, cropped & contrast enhanced shot of the rocks on the surface behind the shot of Phoenix with the USA flag & Messages from Earth CD Rom. What is immediately obvious is that two of them are very clearly volcanic basalt with vesicles, with some others appearing flat topped & sedimentary???? Debris thrown out of the Heimdall Crater????? http://www.photodump.com/Anonymous/Various%20kinds%20of%20rocks%20Phoenix%20(sol%202)..html <img src="http://sitelife.space.com/ver1.0/Content/images/store/4/4/04d5ff6b-71c2-401a-a45f-b1dd65123216.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>

efron_24 · May 27, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'>Sorry I do not understand? Is there anything we should have noticed????????</DIV>Well there is a lot to see..  There are strange flows down the slopesthere are various grey/white tones on the right of the slopes (a color image would be great)(not the very white features, they could be just outcrop)The circular features look like deposits.. like salt..  or is it just frostsame goes for the white line just under the rim..What are these white dots, where on several locations something flowed down from.and there are gullies on the outside of the crater.. from the rim to the plains..The whole crater looks like a place where lot's of water was or is presentThis look unlike any crater I have ever seen on Mars or anywere else  <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

brandbll · May 27, 2008

Replying to: <DIV CLASS='Discussion_PostQuote'> 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.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 (your turly here included) were as you can see, were successful with the petitioning, to give the Mars Surveyor spacecraft a new mission rather than languish in a museum, going nowhere & doing nothing.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). 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. Posted by 3488</DIV>I don't know how anyone could be disappointed at this point.  Even if it's not a rover, it's something completely new for crying out loud!  Anyways, like the Rovers, i think one of the most interesting things to find out from this mission will be the lifespan of the craft regarding if it is able sustain it's tabled lifespan and if so how much longer it can exceed it.  Not only do you get tons of geological science out of this, but you get tons of engineering information as well.  Heck, unless some revolutionary discovery is made, which isn't out of the realm of possibilities, the engineering perspective might be the most important part of the mission. If we ever end up having rovers rolling around on Mars polls looking for water and what not you can be damned sure that a big reason for them being their will be the contribution Phoenix will make. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> You wanna talk some jive? I'll talk some jive. I'll talk some jive like you've never heard! </div>

efron_24 · May 27, 2008

During the first night on Mars (summer) the temperatures dropped to -88 celcius I just googled for the lowest temperatures on Earth.Antartica Vostok station (Russian) set a (non-confirmed) record in 1997!!! It was -91 °C (-132 °F) This is colder than Dry Ice! The "official"record is also from Vostok station on July 21, 1983 -89.2 °C (-128.6 °F)Unbelieveble. I think the record for the Netherlands was -21°C during a night in 2006 (it was March !) That's just very warm compared to this first night at Mars   <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

qso1 · May 27, 2008

My hats off to the Mars Phoenix team. I think most of us who keep close tabs on mars missions are finally glad to see a polar mission after a decade of waiting since the last attempt. But right now, looks like MRO is stealin the show. I just saw images posted here at SDC of Mars Phoenix landers actual parachute descent as imaged by MRO. And a surface shot of the various peices of Phoenix related hardware on the martian surface.I used to imagine this kind of stuff for stories I do. Getting to see it for real now. As for the Phoenix itself, it'll be center stage again very soon provided all continues to go well. I'm hoping to see some frost in subsequent Phoenix imagery...perhaps more of it than was imaged decades ago by Viking two.  <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> My borrowed quote for the time being:There are three kinds of people in life. Those who make it happen, those who watch it happen...and those who do not know what happened. </div>

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