Phoenix - North Pole Region Lander (PHX)

noosfractal · 2008-05-25 21:34:50

Raw images available from ...

http://fawkes4.lpl.arizona.edu/images.php?gID=0&cID=7

The solar panels are fully deployed, so we are off and running.

Congrats to the Phoenix Mission Team!

noosfractal · 2008-05-25 22:04:25

A false color image ...

http://www.unmannedspaceflight.com/inde … 5&start=15

noosfractal · 2008-05-25 23:05:05

Preliminary data says the landing site is 68.22 degrees latitude and 234.3 degrees longitude.

You can see where that is using these maps ..

http://planetary.org/blog/article/00001431/

**EDIT

Better estimate of the landing site (68.011 lat, 236.994 long - right at the edge of the 3-sigma ellipse!) ...

Here is the closest HiRISE image ...

http://hirise.lpl.arizona.edu/PSP_006930_2480

noosfractal · 2008-05-25 23:27:27

This is the polygonal terrain they were looking for (similar ice modified terrain occurs in Antarctica)

siggy · 2008-05-26 00:57:37

Kinda unfocused? Looks beautifull though.

RedStreak · 2008-05-26 01:04:22

First false color image of Mars. Almost exactly as predicted: flat plains exceeding few rocks and signs of those polygon stripes in ground.

cIclops · 2008-05-26 02:40:07

This is optimal, aligned correctly and on the polygonal terrain. It looks like edges and centers are within reach of the arm. Let's get digging!

Fabulous. Peter Smith must be over the Deimos.

Post touchdown coverage from NASA TV - 26 May 2008 - video 46 mins

o ecstatic scenes in the control room at touchdown
o interview with Peter Smith,
o pre-launch testing at Lockheed Martin,
o arrival of first images

louis · 2008-05-26 04:30:17

Some stray thoughts:

1. Although I'm as enthused as anyone about this mission, I'm hoping it doesn't find signs of life. If it does then I think the Mars preservationists will have a strong case to argue against human missions to Mars, lest they bring with them Earth life which could destroy Mars life. Whilst the discovery of life on Mars if it turns out to be a variant on earth life, then that is frankly going to be a bit boring. We'll be spending the next 10,000 years gingerly analysing these boring bits of life and not daring set foot on the planet!

2. Choice of static mission to the Northern Plains is a bit of a PR disaster in my view. People have grown accustomed to the excitement of rover missions. Picture of flat, featureless, rocky desert won't go down well with American taxpayers in light of the credit crunch and pressure on family incomes.

3. Are the Phoenix cameras going to be monitoring the sky for "weather"?

Vincent · 2008-05-26 04:49:24

For those that like their images a little sharper, a little more realistic just add some visene.

Vincent

louis · 2008-05-26 05:05:22

Nice one Vincent!

Gregori · 2008-05-26 05:33:41

W0000000000000000000000000000t!!!

Congrats on the successful mission. I can't wait to see what it finds out!!

I completely disagree with Louis. I think if NASA find past or present life on Mars, It will get the public really interested in the Red Planet and will help speed up either sample return or manned missions.

People aren't so interested in a barren frozen rock...

Terraformer · 2008-05-26 05:38:00

Nothing from Zydar yet about aliens.

Speaking of which, NASA should claim they need a manned mission, and thus a lot more funding, to check out signs of Intelligent alien life.

noosfractal · 2008-05-26 05:38:24

Are the Phoenix cameras going to be monitoring the sky for "weather"?

Yes. There is also a lidar on board. A big part of the mission is to observe the seasonal changes into winter. You'll get some excitement as the lander gets covered in CO2 ice. It'll be cool if we get to watch the thaw, but the lander will probably die during the winter.

cIclops · 2008-05-26 05:50:34

Curious how some polygons appear cleaner than others - thrusters may have blown the regolith from the nearest one, but there are others further away.

Those dark patches at some corners may be small sinkholes where material falls down below the surface or maybe they are just shadows

Rxke · 2008-05-26 06:09:31

Wow good show!

(I can't believe I wasn't able to log in before now, a job w/o computeraccess sometimes sucks, heehee!)

cIclops · 2008-05-26 06:24:23

Just wait till we get the 3D 12 color 360 panorama!

Maybe they'll also get the microphone working.

Stormrage · 2008-05-26 06:28:45

I was watching it live on NASA TV since the coverage here in the UK is so awful. Unfortunately my internet frazzled couple of minutes before Phoenix was about to enter Space. Nice to see it was successful though.

Vincent · 2008-05-26 09:04:38

What do we see? Plenty of polygons for sure.

Area I- Rock with cup. The geologist on NASA TV said this is from water action as he held a rock from Antarctica. Don’t ask me why.

Area II very intriguing. Possible vent with dark matter ejection on surface, several areas of dark matter visible with obvious reincorporation of surface material.

Vincent

Vincent · 2008-05-26 09:10:41

A good little tool.

http://www.softpedia.com/get/Desktop-En … lass.shtml

Vincent

cIclops · 2008-05-26 09:40:42

Probably a shadow Vincet.

Why are some polygons almost clear of pebbles and rocks? Could it be that they are slightly higher than the surrounding ones and have been scoured clean by the wind?

cIclops · 2008-05-26 10:19:44

Mars Society Celebrates NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander Success - 26 May 2008

The first of NASA's new Scout missions, Phoenix is exploring new scientific and project management territory. The lander will be the first to explore the poles of Mars, which the currently orbiting Mars Odyssey craft has determined have high concentrations of water ice, a valuable resource both for any potential indigenous life and any future human explorers. It also represents the first time that a mission has been chosen from among competing ideas presented by organizations outside of NASA, an idea which has been championed by The Mars Society for the last 10 years.
"At its founding convention in 1998, the Mars Society called upon NASA to implement a program where groups from across the scientific spectrum with creative ideas for new Mars exploration missions could compete, with the best selected for implementation," said Mars Society President Dr. Robert Zubrin. "In 2000, NASA embraced that concept by establishing the Mars Scout program, and the terrific Phoenix mission has been the result. We're very proud of the role we have played in bringing this about, and look forward with great excitement to the discoveries that Phoenix may bring."

Vincent · 2008-05-26 10:30:55

cIclops

I don’t see any that are clean but some appear smooth near-by.

This area has a lot of active weather and as Spring arrives high winds would blow. It you notice there are no large dunes and no micro-dunes this would mean that the dust is re-incorporated into the surface.

One would be the weight of or protection from the CO2 snow. The elevation readings from the satellites suggest up to three feet in mid winter.

Another contributor would be wicking or water ice melt in mid summer that would dampen the surface material and no allow saltation necessary for dune development.

I would say both are involved. The possible vent was noted due to dark material spray lying on the ground in the sun. This makes me say vent vs. shadow. The positioning is at the edge of a polygon and is located were a vent would be, that’s why I made the call.

This is the fun part

Vincent

MarsRefresh · 2008-05-26 10:35:46

Why are some polygons almost clear of pebbles and rocks? Could it be that they are slightly higher than the surrounding ones and have been scoured clean by the wind?

I bet that's it. Check out these Earth-arctic pics for comparison:
http://www.uaf.edu/water/faculty/nolan/ … lygons.JPG
http://www.mun.ca/biology/delta/arcticf … /l1009.jpg

And the Antarctic Dry Valleys:
http://www.nsf.gov/od/lpa/news/03/image … ns_cen.jpg

There's some excellent pictures of arctic permafrost in the December 2007 issue of National Geographic.

Vincent · 2008-05-26 10:40:35

MarsRefresh

The Earth does not have global dust storms. Where are the dunes brother?

Vincent

cIclops · 2008-05-26 10:47:25

Thanks for the down to Earth polygon images MarsRefresh, each polygon looks very similar to all the other ones. There seems to be much more variation in the Martian ones in terms of the quantity of rocks and pebbles on each; some have almost none, others are covered.

Vincent, is there any evidence for snow fall? Most of the chatter is about surface frost.

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Re: Phoenix - North Pole Region Lander (PHX)

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