Phoenix - End of Mission Options

[Deimos]

NASA Teleconference Today about Status of Phoenix Mars Lander

WASHINGTON -- NASA will hold a media teleconference at 4 p.m. EST today, Monday, Nov. 10, to discuss the status of the Phoenix Mars Lander. Phoenix has been operating on the Red Planet for more than five months.

Participants will be:
-- Barry Goldstein, Phoenix project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.
-- Peter Smith, Phoenix principal investigator at the University of Arizona in Tucson
-- Doug McCuistion, director of the Mars Exploration Program at NASA Headquarters in Washington

Audio of the teleconference will be streamed live at http://www.nasa.gov/newsaudio.

[Stu]

Conference has started...

[DEChengst]

Goodbye friend :'(

[Stu]

"End of mission" declared... no-one has any expectations of Phoenix being heard from again...

[djellison]

Barry :

Sol 151 - had a bit of a problem. Executing the last high power science day. Dust storm on that day (out of the blue). Were expecting Tau of .3. Planned for .5 - it went up to 0.8.

For a few sols it kept communicating.

Became harder for the vehicle to wake up as the dust has hung around.

Nov 5th - was the last time they heard from Phoenix.

At this time pretty convinced the vehicle is no longer available to us.

Declaring an end of mission operations at this time.

Going to keep listening with MODY and MRO - but no one has any expectations of that happening.

[mike]

Phoenix was a fun mission. And if we hear from it again, it will be that much more exciting. I look forward to seeing the (as of yet!) complete results.

[ElkGroveDan]

It was the most exciting EDL ever that's for certain.

[ugordan]

It was the most exciting EDL ever that's for certain.

Indeed.

Seems like it was yesterday...

[Juramike]

(I still have the half-eaten bag of peanuts).

[Stu]

Yeah, that was a heck of a night, wasn't it? Thank you everyone on the Phoenix team for a wonderful few months!

Looking forward to the science results. Lots of delights and surprises lurking in that data, I'm sure.

[djellison]

Sad topic to start - but it marks the end of a great mission.

[Stu]

Sad, but inevitable, and everyone involved in the mission should feel very, very proud of what they and their lander achieved during Phoenix's all-too-brief stay on Mars. Thanks to them we saw martian ice glinting in the sunlight, clouds scudding across the sky, dust devils whorling in the distance... so many wonderful memories for us all to look back on in years to come.

[PDP8E]

from my phone via twitter

From Phoenix mission ops: Phoenix is no longer communicating with Earth. We'll continue to listen, but it's likely its mission has ended.

(it is now ~4:27pm Eastern US time, Nov 10, 2008)

[Chmee]

Anyone have the final / last image that Pheonix took?

[punkboi]

Farewell, Phoenix. We hardly knew ye.

[Guest_Enceladus75_*]

RIP Phoenix - you were a great mission.

The best is yet to come - the data analysis is really only beginning.

[Ken90000]

It's better to hear this news from friends than from some strange on Television this evening.

Great Mission!

[MahFL]

Oh how sad. The fall weather is harsh up there.

[01101001]

I might as well link this here:

JPL Phoenix Mission News: Mars Phoenix Lander Finishes Successful Work on Red Planet (2008 November 10)

NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander has ceased communications after operating for more than five months. As anticipated, seasonal decline in sunshine at the robot's arctic landing site is not providing enough sunlight for the solar arrays to collect the power necessary to charge batteries that operate the lander's instruments.

Mission engineers last received a signal from the lander on Nov. 2. Phoenix, in addition to shorter daylight, has encountered a dustier sky, more clouds and colder temperatures as the northern Mars summer approaches autumn. The mission exceeded its planned operational life of three months to conduct and return science data.

The project team will be listening carefully during the next few weeks to hear if Phoenix revives and phones home. However, engineers now believe that is unlikely because of the worsening weather conditions on Mars. [...]

[Stu]

Anyone have the final / last image that Pheonix took?

Maybe this...

[Chmee]

Maybe this...

Pheonix, don't go towards the light!! Come back to us!

[marsophile]

At a previous news conference, it was stated that a dozen or so AFM images had been taken. Any chance we could see some of those?

[nprev]

(Sigh)...well, all good things must come to an end, and Phoenix was a very good thing indeed.

My deepest congratulations to the entire team; superbly done, ladies and gentlemen!

[djellison]

Any chance we could see some of those?

I don't know. Why don't you ask them.

All the data will be on the PDS before too long anyway.

[elakdawalla]

Do you know offhand what the PDS delivery date is?

(I know I can look this up -- busy day)

[djellison]

From the Archive PLan PDF I've seen - http://pds-geosciences.wustl.edu/missions/...rchive_Plan.pdf

The actual delivery schedule will exceed these requirements: the Phoenix Project will make at least
two deliveries to the PDS, the first one no later than six months after Sol 30 data are received on
Earth, and the second one no later than six months after Sol 90 data are received on Earth. In the
event of an extended mission, subsequent data releases will occur for every 90 sols; for example,
Sol 180 plus six months, then Sol 270 plus six months, with the final delivery occurring no later
than six months after the last data have been received on Earth.

and

~ December 9, 2008 Delivery of data from Sols 1 to 30 to PDS two weeks before first release
~ December 23, 2008 First data release 6 months after sol 30
~ February 8, 2009 Delivery of data from Sols 31 to 90 to PDS two weeks before second release
~ February 22, 2009 Second data release 6 months after sol 90

4 different flavours of AFM data in the plan, including calibrated topographs.

[Bjorn Jonsson]

This is sad but still I'm happy - this was a great and successful mission that lasted well beyond the nominal 90 day mission. Following the EDL live and then seeing the first images just a few seconds after they were received on Earth was especially memorable.

However: Back in January 2004, who would have thought that at the end of a successful Phoenix mission both of the MERs would still be going strong?

[nprev]

I was thinking that too, Bjorn.

Engineering, thy name is JPL!!!

[jamescanvin]

Great mission - it's been a fantastic ride over the last few months. Thanks to all involved. Goodbye Phoenix.

Anyone have the final / last image that Pheonix took?

This unremarkable pair are sitting at the bottom of my MMB directory:

http://www.met.tamu.edu/mars/i/SS151ESF909...5_20973L5M1.jpg
http://www.met.tamu.edu/mars/i/SS151ESF909...5_20973R5M1.jpg

[Ant103]

Fantastic mission. She has been a true friend on Mars. A great engine of dreams…

Now, she can meet her sisters : Viking 1 & 2, Mars Pathfinder…

[TheChemist]

Sad sad sad. But looking forward to science results and HiRiSe images of our baby in early 2010. She 'll be there.

PS. Anybody has any idea about the last Twitter message from Phoenix posted 1h ago in binary code ?
The numbers are (if I have done it correctly) 84 114 105 117 109 112 104 <3
Is it some kind of coded message ? (Well duh ?)

[jamescanvin]

And this is a quick go at the last image of the Martian surface taken by Phoenix.

Attached thumbnail(s)

 

[Cugel]

its plain decimal ascii.

[Fran Ontanaya]

PS. Anybody has any idea about the last Twitter message

'Triumph' in ASCII.

[Deimos]

This unremarkable pair are sitting at the bottom of my MMB directory:
http://www.met.tamu.edu/mars/i/SS151ESF909...5_20973L5M1.jpg
http://www.met.tamu.edu/mars/i/SS151ESF909...5_20973R5M1.jpg

These are the last two. Not exactly going out in a blaze of glory... But those are a water vapor band/continuum pair, so Phoenix was following the water to the end.

[SpaceListener]

I have been following all of his story. Later I did not have doubt that its mission was going very well; before to land on Mars, I had high confidence of its good touchdown. Later, the Phoenix's team did not sleep trying to get the most of precious short time and they were able to exceed all goals.

Hence, the mission of Phoenix was a truly of a great achievement. Congratulations to a good job to Phoenix's team.

The most peculiar things that comes up to my memory from Phoenix are:

• I was unbelieving to see a so flat surface.
• His wonderful and unique picture during its landing.
• Mars also rains but the water never reaches on the surface.
• The discovery of a pair ices holes on the Phoenix belly:
• The wind was blowing on the tiny thing.
• The surface is very similar to Earth (alkaline).
• The slow sublimation of ice from the surface.

[Deimos]

Back in January 2004, who would have thought that at the end of a successful Phoenix mission both of the MERs would still be going strong?

Ssh. Don't jinx anything. We lost Phoenix approximately when expected, and in approximately the expected way. There was just no avoiding the harshness of the environment. With MER, there were those, not optimists but pragmatists, who expected Summer/Fall '05. A few optimists said more. I don't think I heard Fall '08 and beyond . Even so, only Opportunity is going strong. Spirit needs help--little recent odometry, minimal recent science, and dusty solar panels choking off power. Or to put it another way: one is still hopefully roving, the other is hopefully still roving.

[01101001]

Phoenix Project Archive Generation, Validation and Transfer Plan (PDF)

The Phoenix Project Level 1 requirements state that Level 0 and Level 1 imaging data shall be
archived with PDS within six months of the end of the mission, and all other Level 0 and Level 1
data shall be archived within 12 months of the end of the mission [Applicable Document 3]. The
actual delivery schedule will exceed these requirements: the Phoenix Project will make at least
two deliveries to the PDS, the first one no later than six months after Sol 30 data are received on
Earth, and the second one no later than six months after Sol 90 data are received on Earth. In the
event of an extended mission, subsequent data releases will occur for every 90 sols; for example,
Sol 180 plus six months, then Sol 270 plus six months, with the final delivery occurring no later
than six months after the last data have been received on Earth. Table 5 shows the dates for
archive data acquisition and release.

August 23, 2008 Sol 91: Start of extended mission
November 20, 2008 Sol 180
~ December 9, 2008 Delivery of data from Sols 1 to 30 to PDS two weeks before first release
~ December 23, 2008 First data release 6 months after sol 30
~ February 8, 2009 Delivery of data from Sols 31 to 90 to PDS two weeks before second release
~ February 22, 2009 Second data release 6 months after sol 90
TBD Subsequent data releases for every 90 sols through end of mission, with data
delivered to PDS two weeks in advance of release date.

[TheChemist]

Thanks Cugel and Fran.
I see 3 is fittingly "End of Text".

[Guest_Oersted_*]

This unremarkable pair are sitting at the bottom of my MMB directory:
....
http://www.met.tamu.edu/mars/i/SS151ESF909...5_20973R5M1.jpg

I think that is a quite remarkable last image. I distinctly see the soul of Phoenix shooting lightning-fast into the Martian sky.

[imipak]

Looking forward, the AGU meeting and the PDS data releases are going to be very interesting. We know how hard a problem it was to get a lander down intact in the polar regions, let alone get an extended mission out of it; the whole team richly deserves a storm of applause as the curtain falls, and they certainly get it from me. And possibly some bouquets of flowers flying over the orchestra pit and cries of "encore!"

[ustrax]

Damn...I've shed a couple of tears for Phoenix,I admit it...seing through the chute photo, the first images...the amazing, thrilling landing day...
Dear Phoenix...you were an amazing embassadress from our planet, sad to imagine you cold, dead on that desert landscape of another planet, far from all those who design and built you and made you fly high above from the craddle...I'll miss you.

We'll soon join there on the Red Planet.

Thank you for your fantastic life!

It was your way!

[belleraphon1]

Just as parents live on in their children, Phoenix lives on in the data. Who knows that butterflies will come forth from that!?

Goodbye Mayfly..... your data will live on forever. May descendants of your fragile creators find you and touch you some future day.

Craig

[Stu]

Farewell Phoenix...



And everyone really should read this poignant farewell from the lander itself... just superbly written, and very touching... this is how Outreach should be done.

[nprev]

Touching indeed....(sigh)....

It's sad, but let's never forget the excitement of landing day here on UMSF; it's a fun read now, we were all a bit giddy!

[djellison]

Now I know what Buzz meant when he said "Neil - we missed the whole thing"

Doug

[James Sorenson]

I dont know if anyone noticed, but phoenix passed on the same day that MGS passed exactly 2 years ago .

[nprev]

...an odd anniversary indeed, James! Thanks for pointing that out.

Yeah, Doug, forgot you were with Sir Patrick that day live...you still had one of the best seats in the house, though!

[Reckless]

Hi all

Yes it's a sad day but it's been a great mission, from seven minutes of terror (the music still gives me goosebumps) to the last nine days of silence I've kept up with Phoenix on UMSF and elsewhere every day.
Thanks to all here and of course the whole Phoenix team for everything.

Roy

[bcory]

"A moment later Jonathan's body wavered in the air, shimmering, and


began to go transparent. "Don't let them spread silly rumors about me, or


make me a god. O.K., Fletch? I'm a seagull. I like to fly, maybe..."

[elakdawalla]

I dont know if anyone noticed, but phoenix passed on the same day that MGS passed exactly 2 years ago .

That would have been amazing. I checked, though, and MGS was last heard from on November 5, 2006. Barry Goldstein first said that Phoenix was last heard from on November 5, but he also said it was last heard from on Sunday, which was November 2. A question from the press made him clarify and he said yes, he meant Sunday, November 2.

Still, the anniversary is awfully close.

--Emily

[dvandorn]

It's a sad/happy day. It helps a little that we all knew it was coming, and we all knew it was going to happen right around this time.

Many, many amazing memories for me from Phoenix.

Satisfaction that this type of lander finally made it, nearly a decade after MPL really tearing my heart out.

Intense emotions during EDL. I *really* wanted this one to get through.

Fascination at what small-scale polygonal crust looks like from the surface, and in general fascination over what yet another distinct part of Mars looks like.

Pure delight at the OM and AFM images.

Extreme frustration over the inability of TEGA to get an ice sample. When the mission started, we had Jim Garvin on TV stating in awed, hushed tones, "not only do we think we're we going to find water ice, we're going to reach out and taste it! Can you imagine what we can learn from that???" And yet -- not a single taste of the water. Extreme frustration...

All in all, far more wonder than frustration... but t'would have been even more wonderful had we actually managed to taste the ice.

-the other Doug

[dmuller]

It has been a rather short but intense mission indeed. Feels like we've heard "Phoenix ... Phoenix has landed. Welcome to the Northern plains of Mars". Made a lot of friends thanks to Phoenix!

[Vultur]

Extended mission, and it still seems all too short ... goodbye Phoenix...

[Stu]

From the HiRISE blog:

"The last image we took of the lander shows it sitting pretty, just as it has been since May 25th. We’ll take another picture this week, and probably continue to monitor the site after conjunction to study how frost covers the area."

We haven't seen the last of Phoenix.

[Guest_Oersted_*]

It's a sad/happy day. It helps a little that we all knew it was coming, and we all knew it was going to happen right around this time.

....

Great post other-Doug, I second those emotions.

[remcook]

At least it died in the way it was intended to die. It was good while it lasted. Now, let's wait for all the exciting papers that will be coming out.

[manishm1020]

Sad topic to start - but it marks the end of a great mission.

Although today has been a somber day for me as well, it has been a wonderful priviledge to work with the EDL and Science Teams for the past 2-3 years. I have learned a great deal from this experience. Thank you all for this opportunity!

- Manish Mehta

[Guest_PhilCo126_*]

R.I.P. Phoenix

[djellison]

When someone writes a post that ends with "But that's probably not a subject for this forum"....they're usually right.

Two posts deleted.

[mars loon]

Phoenix .. We love you and shall miss you deeply

You have provided a thrilling science ride from beginning to end ...

discovering ice sheets beneath and swirling ice clouds above.

RIP

ken

[climber]

Great shared souvenirs from landing with you all.
Waiting for papers realease
Waiting to see her from HiRise.
Altogether, it's a

[314karl]

Extended mission, and it still seems all too short ... goodbye Phoenix...

Although very, very slim, the possibility is not zero that Phoenix may awaken a bit more than a year from now, depending on the extent of damage due to ice accumulation on the solar panels and the extreme cold on the circuitry.

[ElkGroveDan]

I will never, ever forget this image. It made me proud to be a part of the same species as the guys who pulled this off. What a triumph of human achievement.

Attached thumbnail(s)

 

[dvandorn]

It made me proud to be a part of the same species as the guys who pulled this off.

Thank you, Dan. That summed up *perfectly* a lot of what I've been feeling about this mission. I know I still get goosebumps thinking about that image.

-the other Doug

[Stu]

Celebrating a job well done, not mourning a lander lost...

Farewell Phoenix...

[mars loon]

Celebrating a job well done, not mourning a lander lost...

well the UA clock is still running

[Stu]

Good to know, but if you listen carefully I think you can hear not just the fading echoes of the fat lady's song, but the stage lights being turned off, the seats being flipped back up and the doors locked too...

[imipak]

let's never forget the excitement of landing day here on UMSF

As well as the memories I still have the chat logs, and the champagne cork The sense of a community coming together with the mission team, Doug's webcast with Sir Patrick Moore, Emily's live u-streams, Peter Smith and Barry Goldstein's expressions... an absolutely magical night.

[James Sorenson]

Thanks for clarifying that Emily.

[Del Palmer]

It was your way!

Quite appropriate, and there's even a nod to TEGA in the lyrics:

"Yes, there were times, I'm sure you knew, when I bit off more than I could chew."

Doing science for 149 out of 152 Sols is an impressive record to be sure. Phoenix will be in my thoughts, although being someone who doesn't tolerate cold very well, the encasement in ice is not something I want to dwell on too much.

[ConyHigh]

Thanks to all of the brilliant minds on this blog who have been so supportive of the entire mission.
This was the one place to go to get intelligent discussion, not a place where people pi$$ed and moaned about the information coming out of the mission.
You were read regularly and frequently by the team.
It was a great ride. I'll never have a better job than the one I had on Phoenix.
Adios, space friends!

[Stu]

Thanks Cony, I think I can speak for a lot of people here when I say that means a lot to us...

But hey, we're not done with Phoenix yet! We'll all be here picking through and discussing the science results as they're released, and no doubt producing and creating new and beautiful images as we patiently go through the old raws again, looking for stuff we missed the first time.

So don't go away, ok?

And to any of the Phoenix team who have read or are reading this, two words:

THANK YOU!

[djellison]

The fun starts in a months time when the data hits the PDS

Between now and then, we have the wrap party

Doug

[SFJCody]

Sad but inevitable. Oh well. Phoenix had a better innings than MPF, and now she's part of Mars history.

[tedstryk]

Sad but inevitable. Oh well. Phoenix had a better innings than MPF, and now she's part of Mars history.

Better? Not so. Sojourner had a 7 day primary mission, and the lander had a 30 day primary mission. Also, Pathfinder was an engineering mission not a science mission, yet it ended up doing good science. Phoenix and Pathfinder were both great successes, but your comparison is not valid.

[Thu]

Goodbye Phoenix! However we'll keep an eye on you from orbit.
I'm waiting for the snow-covered image of Phoenix from MRO in the coming months.
And perhaps, as winter comes and goes, will our bird rise again?

[HughFromAlice]

All good things must come to an end!

My personal take: -

- A great acheivement, not least in the high standards set for openness and inclusivity. All part of the evolution of modern science. Thanks Phoenix team, how amazing it has been to follow this adventure.
- Heimdal Crater shot. Inspiring and gives a great sense of perspective on things.
- Scudding clouds and 'varga' snow. (My personal favourite - just so evocative).
- Ok, so TEGA didn't work perfectly.... but such stimulating discoveries!

Future.... data analysis: -

- I'm dying to find out more about perchlorates/carbonates and the gound-atmosphere interaction.

Regret: -

- Didn't see CO2 snow!! Perhaps a couple of clear days and..............

[Jeff7]

Pheonix, don't go towards the light!! Come back to us!

What're you saying??

Phoenix! Go towards the light! You need it for your solar panels!



But that sure was a tense EDL. I was also listening to the live NASA feed; it was so awesome hearing the altitude countdown after it separated from the heatshield and was falling on its own, to hear the increments between announcements decreasing, indicating that it was slowing down properly. Such a perfect descent.

[Harder]

Let me be the first to say that I am eagerly awaiting the scientific results from Phoenix before forming a view about the success of Phoenix.

But in the meantime…. I am a chemical engineer (process technology) from origine and I would like to get it off my chest that if the Phoenix Mission expected to stuff a soil/ice type of sample through a narrow TEGA opening further constrained by a fine mesh, then from a simple engineering perspective that was simply completely wrong, well outside the ballpark compared to the principles applied in (process-) engineering practices. I think we should not "gift-wrap" this message somewhere in a larger evaluation, but try to examine it separately for learning & ongoing improvements.

On the one hand I feel better for having gone on record with this, but overall I have a huge admiration for the team who developed the Phoenix idea and took it all the way to Mars. This is the stuff that space exploration is made off!

If I may use the analogy of the oil drilling engineers (Clint Eastwood and others) coming to the assistance of a space mission in the cinema, then perhaps it is time to expand the space exploration effort and include more “ordinary” engineering inputs from outside the space centres, as missions get their hands dirty on the surface of asteroids, moons and planets...

[Stu]

Nice video tribute here...

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/video/index.cfm?id=788

[MahFL]

Oh thats nice.

[Stu]

My take on the last colour scene imaged by Phoenix on Sol 151...

http://phoenixpics.wordpress.com/2008/11/1...s-last-postcard

[djellison]

I make this the last RAC image 16:05 on Sol 149
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/phoenix/..._20870MDM1.html

This is the last MI image at 14:26 on Sol 149
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/phoenix/..._207A0MGM1.html

This the last SSI image that wasn't a solar observation on sol 151 at 5:31 am
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/phoenix/..._20900R6M1.html

And your colour image was about 15 minutes before that - 5:17 am,

[Thu]

I recall that when Phoenix tried to get some samples and had the dirt sprayed the DVD, somebody hilariously commented "We're on Mars and now Mars's on us"
Oh I laughed out loud at that time

Also the short movie of the wind indicator moving is simply amazing, many people were surprised since they thought Mars is also an inactive world like the Moon.

[AndyG]

Nice video tribute here...

Th...there...there seems to be something in my eye.

Andy, in need of a stiffer upper lip.

[stevesliva]

While frustrating, so much was and will be learned about working with that incalcitrant soil-- can only be excited about the advances that will be made from that! What techniques will be developed on earth to simulate the properties of it? What a boon to testing new lander systems.

[Ant103]

Hum, notice the last pictures of Oppy, especially the file name. i.e :
1N279734819EFF93RIP1994L0M1.JPG

A hide message of Oppy for Phoenix?

[djellison]

Site 93, Drive RI, Sequence P1994

Doug

[Ant103]

Yes Doug, I know that. But I found the coincidence amusing .

[robspace54]

Mars Pathfinder lived from July 4, 1997 to October 7, 1997 (95 days / 93 sols). The Sojourner rover may actually have stayed active a bit longer in survival mode.

Phoenix lasted from May 25, 2008 to November 2, 2008 (161 days / 157 sols). I think that Phoenix was a very respectable mission. Now if we only had an astronaut available to scrape the ice out of the scoop...

Rob

[imipak]

Nice video tribute here...

(`-) *hem, hem*. What a great excuse for a swift perspective and slimline-tonic with-ice-but-no-lemon. Thanks!

[tedstryk]

Phoenix lasted from May 25, 2008 to November 2, 2008 (161 days / 157 sols). I think that Phoenix was a very respectable mission. Now if we only had an astronaut available to scrape the ice out of the scoop...

Rob

I would add that comparing the life of Phoenix to the other Martian landers isn't really fair. Being solar powered in the polar region, it had more working against it than the failure of critical components (which never happened) and accumulation of dust on its solar panels.

[ustrax]

Nice video tribute here...

Ain't got the words to describe my feelings watching that video...when the HiRISE image appeared it was time for a tremendous shower over the laptop...damn...why do this things have to be so freaking beautifully dramatic?...I'll miss you Phoenix...

[Stu]

when the HiRISE image appeared it was time for a tremendous shower over the laptop...

You meant tears, right?

[FIN Mars]

Well... R.I.P Phoenix - that was short but beautiful story...

But I would like see HiRiSe photos at the Phoenix when there is middle winter in the Mars. Interesting to see that will it be covered by the snow and Ice?

[djellison]

But I would like see HiRiSe photos at the Phoenix when there is middle winter in the Mars.

You mean...when it's...dark?

Good luck with imaging

[Guest_Zvezdichko_*]

Themis IR imaging

[James Sorenson]

Good luck with themis to .

[tedstryk]

I know MOC took some images using the twilight from sunlight hitting the upper atmosphere during the winter. However, these images were heavily binned. I am not sure if HIRISE could pull this off with a signal to noise ratio good enough to detect Phoenix.