Would Phoenix be able to blip its rockets to move around a bit?, ...and not just pulling itself along with the arm... Options

[climber]

If we had two trenching operations within meters of each other and they turned out to be different, that would tell us so much more than one single trenching operation, the validity of which we can't say a lot about, because there is just this one operation.

I guess the arm have "left" and "right" ability and not just "strait forward" axis.
If I'm right, we could have a second trench (1 m?) from the first during extended mission, don't we?

[ugordan]

... during extended mission ...?

Whoa, people. Phoenix isn't even safely down yet and you're already talking about extended missions.

[djellison]

Phoenix is legacy hardware, and it is certainly much better to have the present Phoenix than none at all. But how much does that argument advance things?

It advanced them from not having any mission, to having a mission that will do a LOT of science. It wouldn't do '10x' the science, as you claim, if it could move, because within 5 months or so, it's going to be dead. It's going to take most of it's life to fully understand and investigate what we land on. If it could move, it wouldn't have time to do the same to a second site and the data tells us that a second site would be the same as the first. Maybe we'll get a polygon edge within the work volume - that would be a nice bonus. But for what Phoenix is being sent to do, it's purpose, it's prime goal... mobility is not in any way justified, required or 'missing'. By Sol 90 after the full characterization of the landing site, the sun will begin to set. From that point on, it's going to be camping out on ever decreasing power, on an atmospheric and surface monitoring program. Phoenix isn't going to last 1500 Sols. This is a short lived tightly focused mission for which mobility is not required.

Would it be nice to have a rover. YES. Would there be a benefit to Phoenix to be mobile? No - because it wouldn't even be on Mars - it would be on PPT's getting turned down at the scout selection phase. A lack of mobility made Phoenix possible. Lamenting that fact is moot.


Indeed, refering back to your quote ' how much does that argument advance things?' - debating mobility for Phoenix advances nothing whatsoever. There isn't a debate to be had. It's not mobile. Argument finished. I struggle to see what your point is beyond that.

Doug

[centsworth_II]

Phoenix is legacy hardware, and it is certainly much better to have the present Phoenix than none at all. But how much does that argument advance things?

You would be much better off advocating for improvements to future missions.