[X] My Assistant

[RNeuhaus]

This topic is for posts concerning to any preparation of Phoenix Lander Mission to Mars programmed to launch on August 2007 (less than 2 years... but the time will fly)

http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/future/phoenix.html

Overview

The Phoenix mission is the first chosen for NASA's Scout program, an initiative for smaller, lower-cost, competed spacecraft. Named for the resilient mythological bird, Phoenix uses a lander that was intended for use by 2001's Mars Surveyor lander prior to its cancellation. It also carries a complex suite of instruments that are improved variations of those that flew on the lost Mars Polar Lander.

Canada Will Land Instrument On Mars To Study Weather

http://www.spacedaily.com/news/mars-future-05t.html

Rodolfo

[djellison]

I can't help but laugh when people start suggesting design changes to a spacecraft with less than a year till launch. Do you know how silly it is to suggest those sorts of things?

Solar Panels are dark in colour for a reason - and in actual fact, dark solar panels will appear more contrasting to the ligher coloured terrain in the polar region.

And look at the HiRISE MER image - it's the shadow that stands out, not the vehicle itself - with Phoenix, those shadows can at times observable by HiRISE be very very long.

And - once you stow the solar panels again ( which seems unlikely as such operations are usually one way with latches involved) - where do you intend to get the power from to run the vehicle, accept commands and open them up again?

The 'proper' design for Phoenix is the one that gets it on the ground and survives for around 6 months - all the time it will need to do the measurements it is being sent to do. This isn't MER - longevity will not bring anything particularly new. The advancement and retreat of the polar cap is better observed from orbit via HiRISE .

Doug

[Stephen]

The advancement and retreat of the polar cap is better observed from orbit via HiRISE .

Now there I must beg to disagree!

For one thing that statement seems to be implying that the study of the advancement and retreat of the Martian polar cap only involves studying large scale changes, the sort best observed from above; and on an intermittent basis at that (since HiRISE will not be observing the cap's advance and retreat constantly or even consistently; ie it will most likely only be able to observe the same places on an intermittent basis).

But that issue aside why should the study of the advancement and retreat of the Martian polar cap only involve cameras? Phoenix also carries a meteorogical station. Are you suggesting that there is nothing to be learned about Martian seasonal change and its interaction with the polar cap over the course of a Martian winter from data collected by such a station?

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Stephen

[djellison]

the course of a Martian winter

I agree, LIDAR obs during winter would be interesting, but during martian winter, Phoenix is going to be very very very dead.

And HiRISE can and will follow the advance and retreat of the icecap.....a job almost designed for MARCI which will obseve the site at LEAST daily, and because it's near polar it may well get imaged several times per day. An equatorial site, yes, HiRISE would struggle to image it regularly ( MARCI would still do so however ) but because it's near the pole the 'overlap' of the orbits is so much closer that repeated, higher res observations ( with CTX or even HiRISE ) will be much easier.

Doug

[punkboi]

I agree, LIDAR obs during winter would be interesting, but during martian winter, Phoenix is going to be very very very dead.

I could care less about how Phoenix meets its fate after its mission... I just hope its thrusters work beautifully when it's descending to the ground at the beginning of its mission