Phoenix - End of Mission Options

[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 .