[X] My Assistant

[djellison]

It lands W to E because, looking at Mars, it flys left to right. Once you figure that Phoenix is ahead of Mars, then the geometry becomes self evident to be honest.

Doug

[Stu]

Hmmm... this could be interesting, or it might be nothing.

Was perusing the images listed in Emily's Blog posting re HiRISE images of the landing site, and whilst wandering over PSP_006785_2485 I found this...



... and the colour version of a neighbouring area looks like this...



Anyone else think they look like the "geyser"-type features seen down near the south pole..? Could Phoenix land near... no, that would be too much to ask for, wouldn't it..?

[ElkGroveDan]

Good eye Stu.

Imagine images of a geyser plume on the horizon. Maybe it's not too late to add one to Rui's contest...

[djellison]

I'd have thought they'd happen during the spring, when the place is warming up and the ice retreating. Phoenix is arriving when all the action, I'd have thought, would be over

Doug

[Stu]

I'd have thought they'd happen during the spring, when the place is warming up and the ice retreating. Phoenix is arriving when all the action, I'd have thought, would be over

Doug

I thought that too... but there could be some interesting material on the surface, and reachable with the instruments, if Phoenix were to land close to one of these vents, even if it's inactive...

[ElkGroveDan]

OK fine. No picture then. I remember when folks around here had vision and imagination

I may do the picture anyway.

[nprev]

Aah, c'mon. Dan...they do.

Speaking as one of the judges for Rui's contest, would love to see a geyser on the horizon in one of the entries (because, frankly, who the hell knows? We don't have a bleeding clue about the rate of thermal inertia for the terrain, fooling ourselves if we think so, even more so if we assume it's uniform...)

[SpaceListener]

Stu, 1 cm, impossible, then closer to 1 meter is the most likely. Thanks to Nep, Stu and The other Doug.

The other thing, about after interpreting the picture, what I was thinking that the surface must be somewhat wet (ending the spring and some water might have sublimated?? and the other part might have drought into the surface??). The surface aspect is smooth probably by the ice weight and by the water erosion and the surface have no white color, then no snow??. This contradicts to Planetary blog (Phoenix on Course for Mars Landing) which says that the zone landing surface will be covered by ice.

"Our landing area has the largest concentration of ice on Mars outside of the polar caps. If you want to search for a habitable zone in the arctic permafrost, then this is the place to go," said Peter Smith, principal investigator for the mission, at the University of Arizona, Tucson.

Finally, I am preoccupied about the success of landing since the ellipse landing is so big (the landing area is an ellipse about 100 kilometers (62 miles) by 19 kilometers (12 miles)). Indeed, according to the Phonix Web page says:

the sophisticated landing system on Phoenix allows the spacecraft to touch down within 10 km (6.2 miles) of the targeted landing area.

On the other hand, I have heard that the intelligent discrimination among boulders was deactivated in order to avoid a major complication in deciding rightly the landing site. Although I have found a quote from Phoenix's Arizona's Web which says:

Besides, the Phoenix's navigation system is capable of detecting and avoiding hazards on the surface of Mars.

[djellison]

I was thinking that the surface must be somewhat wet

What makes you think that? The temperatures and pressures involved render liquid water a very very transient phenomenon, with sublimation far and away the dominant process.

And the resolution is not a 'more likely' situation - it's not an interpretive issue. Each pixel IS 25cm.

The blog doesn't say it'll be covered with ice. It say there is ice there. Which there is - in the soil. Not on it. In it.

I think the two articles you've seen citing landing accuracy are out of date. An active, guided entry was an initial plan for Phoenix, but it was cancelled to save money.

Doug

[ustrax]

Maybe it's not too late to add one to Rui's contest...

Well...there's only 20 days left...and I already have the prizes with me...
those signed posters are indeed a beauty...
I'll try to post an image from one of them already in place at spacEurope's HQ

EDITED: Signed posters, pretty t-shirts and 15 days to go...