There be whales here! - The Voyage Home
There it is. The Phoenix spacecraft has scooped its first sample of Martian soil.
Now for a taste test. Aboard the deck of the Phoenix spacecraft are a suite of science instruments:
- The Microscopy, Electrochemistry, and Conductivity Analyzer (MECA), built by JPL, is a miniature wet lab. It contains four single-use beakers, each of which can accept one sample of martian soil. The first contains an acid to tease out carbonates and other constituents that are better dissolved in an acidic solution. The other three crucibles contain a reagent to test for sulfate. Optical and atomic-force microscopes complement MECA’s wet chemisty experiments. With images from these microscopes, scientists will examine the fine detail structure of soil and water ice samples.
- The Thermal and Evolved Gas Analyzer (TEGA), built by the University of Arizona and University of Texas. Eight tiny ovens, about the size of an ink cartridge in a ballpoint pen, will be used only once to analyze eight unique ice and soil samples. As the temperature of the furnace increases up to 1000°C (1800°F), the ice and other volatile materials in the sample are vaporized into a stream of gases. A mass spectrometer will then measure the molecules and atoms in a sample.
- The Meteorological Station (MET), built by the Canadian Space Agency, records daily weather of the martian northern plains using temperature and pressure sensors, as well as a LIDAR. Particles in the atmosphere reveal information about clouds, fog, and dust plumes, improving scientific understanding of Mars’ atmospheric processes.
- Robotic Arm Camera (RAC), built by the University of Arizona and Max Planck Institute, Germany. It provides close-ups of the martian surface, and prospective soil and water ice samples in the trench as well as fine-scale texturing and layering.
- Surface Stereo Imager (SSI), built by the University of Arizona, provides high-resolution, stereo, panoramic images from its 1024 x 1024 pixel sensor. Optical and infrared filters allow multispectral imaging at 12 wavelengths. Narrow-band imaging will estimate density of atmospheric dust, aerosols, and water vapor. SSI will also look at the lander itself and that ice beneath the spacecraft.
Communication will be primarily through a UHF relay on the Mars 2001 Odyssey orbiter, but the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and Mars Express can also be used as relays. Phoenix also has a steerable medium gain X-band antenna to provide communications directly with Earth.
Phoenix uses an X-band (8 gigahertz) radio throughout the cruise phase. For the mission, a UHF radio (pdf) is used, relayed through Mars orbiters during the entry, descent and landing phase and while operating on the surface of Mars. A UHF antenna on the lander deck will handle outgoing and incoming communications.
DailyWireless has more on the Mars Landing. Additional space news resources include; SpaceDaily, Space.com, Space News, SpaceFlightNow, SpaceRef, Florida Today, Arizona Public Media, CBS News, Fox News, CNN, Discovery: Mars Lander, MSNBC, Berkeley Space Physics, Johns Hopkins, Ball Aerospace, JPL, Upcoming Planetary Launches and Events, Blog Runner, TechMeme, Google News, Yahoo Space News, Yahoo Full Coverage and Nasa TV.
.gif)
