August, 2008
PHOENIX MARS LANDER
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The Phoenix Mars Lander Phoenix is the first lander to study the ice-rich soil of Mars' arctic regions. On May 25, 2008, the lander successfully touched down near the red planet’s north polar ice cap. For three months, a robotic arm will obtain samples for analysis, while its stereo color camera and weather station study the polar climate. Data collected by Phoenix may help us to better understand the history of water at the Martian poles and to determine if the environment is capable of supporting life. Artist concept courtesy of NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory-Caltech/University of Arizona |
 
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MRO Views the Phoenix Mars Lander Traveling 310 kilometers (190 miles) above the surface of Mars, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captured these images of the Phoenix Mars Lander during its descent through the Martian atmosphere and after its landing. Images courtesy of NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory-Caltech/University of Arizona |
Phoenix's First Images From Mars       Images courtesy of NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory-Caltech/University of Arizona |
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Phoenix Finds Water-Ice On June 15, 2008, the Phoenix Mars Lander discovered hard, bright lumps of material beneath the Martian surface. Found in a trench dug by the lander, the material (arrows) vaporized over the course of 4 days. Mission scientists believe the lumps were composed of water-ice. Local surface temperatures caused them to "sublimate" or transform from a solid directly into a gas. Carbon-dioxide ice is less stable and would have sublimated in less than a day. Images courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/Texas A&M University |
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Phoenix's First Wet Chemistry Experiment On June 25, 2008, the Phoenix Mars Lander performed its first wet chemistry experiment. The lander's robotic arm collected a soil sample from the "Snow White" trench and delivered it to the wet lab. After dissolving small amounts of the soil in water, the wet lab analyzed the sample. It revealed that the sample is similar to soils found in Antarctica's upper dry valleys. It has an alkaline pH between 8 and 9 and contains the salt components magnesium, sodium, potassium, and chloride. The salts indicate that water at some time interacted with the soil. Nutrients considered necessary for life were also found. Image of robotic arm scoop courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/Max Planek Institute Microscopic view of soil courtesy of NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/Texas A&M University |
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