Phoenix at Mars

[Faustus]

Phoenix landing at Mars Northern circumpolar regions

NASA TV coverage starts at 6:00 PM EDT

The landing of Phoenix on Mars is planned at 7:53 PM EDT / 23:53 Universal (Zulu) Time when a robot craft lands on Mars with retro-rockets. ~ The craft is 7 feet tall and 18

Edited May 27, 2008 by Faustus

[Nephele]

How exciting! I'll be watching -- thanks for the headsup!

 

-- Nephele

[Gaius Octavius]

Only if miles and klicks aren't confused - again!

[Faustus]

Only if miles and klicks aren't confused - again! .

 

Good point Gaius; I remember that well, and it was very, very painful!

As of now we seem to know where it is closely enough that no adjustments are needed. The method of landing makes this a totally new type of effort. This will be the type of landing system used if and when human beings set foot on Mars. I don't believe it has been done using this system up to now, using retro-rockets all the way down to the surface. It is a direct descendant of the Lunar Landers of the Apollo missions, late 60's early 70's.

 

The type of error which was the fatal flaw of the Mars Climate Orbiter, which overshot (or fell short of) its intended orbit is detailed HERE.

Apparently these guys didn't want to talk with each other; a communications failure of Criticality One.

 

Faustus

[Faustus]

Phoenix has landed and is in communications from Mars !

 

 

EDIT NOTE: Phoenix is fully deployed and sending back pictures by downlink. The landing is being re-run in the NASA TV cycle.

Edited May 27, 2008 by Faustus

[Faustus]

This is an amazing PHOTO of the Phoenix Lander descending against the Martian background:

NASA's Mars Phoenix Lander can be seen parachuting down to Mars, in this image captured by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. This is the first time that a spacecraft has imaged the final descent of another spacecraft onto a planetary body.

 

From a distance of about 310 km (193 miles) above the surface of the Red Planet, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter pointed its HiRISE obliquely toward Phoenix shortly after it opened its parachute while descending through the Martian atmosphere. The image reveals an apparent 10-meter-wide (30-foot-wide) parachute fully inflated. The bright pixels below the parachute show a dangling Phoenix. The image faintly detects the chords attaching the backshell and parachute. The surroundings look dark, but corresponds to the fully illuminated Martian surface, which is much darker than the parachute and backshell.

 

Phoenix released its parachute at an altitude of about 12.6 kilometers (7.8 miles) and a velocity of 1.7 times the speed of sound.

 

There is one situation on the ground: The Robot arm is entangled by the arm's shroud at the elbow; no problem reports ground control . . .

Edited May 27, 2008 by Faustus

[Northern Neil]

What a splendid photo. I am surprised the atmosphere on Mars is dense enough to enable the use of paracutes. Were there re-entry problems similar to Earth?

 

EDIT: or in this case, entry?

Edited May 27, 2008 by Northern Neil

[Faustus]

What a splendid photo. I am surprised the atmosphere on Mars is dense enough to enable the use of paracutes. Were there re-entry problems similar to Earth?

 

EDIT: or in this case, entry?

After seperating from the delivery vehicle, and then upon entering the atmosphere it was moving about 12,500 mph inside its aeroshell. This is similar to the present Russian crew return modules from the space station to prevent it burning on entry into the atmosphere. Once the parachute opened the aeroshell was allowed to be jerked free and to separate and fall away. The parachute slowed the craft down to a speed at which the craft was close enough to settle the rest of the way down to the surface by retro-rockets. When the retro-rockets took over from the parachute its speed was about 90-kms or 200 mph.

 

You may still be able to watch the entry being monitored at JPL on NASA TV linked from the first posting. There was a seven and a half minute one way delay in the signals (Earth to Mars) so they were following data streams that had to fit within certain parameters to measure progress rather than give commands once it left orbit. After leaving orbit it managed the landing from its own programs. There was a 6 and a half seconds execution delay (not sure in what function) later than planned so the lander went down range an extra 2,000 meters to the edge of the planned ellipse at the 10-oclock position.

It rests only 1 degree out of level. The lander is in the summer daytime cycle in the Northern Hemisphere

Edited May 28, 2008 by Faustus

[Faustus]

NAMES ON MARS

Members of the PLANETARY SOCIETY (and anyone else who has wanted to) now have their names imprinted on a DVD on Mars. And the longest standing members have their

scattered throughout the solar system, and even beyond the solar system.

 

The Planetary Society is a non-profit, educational organization. (I have been a member since 1983, so as to put my money where my mouth is.)

[ASCLEPIADES]

NAMES ON MARS

Members of the PLANETARY SOCIETY (and anyone else who has wanted to) now have their names imprinted on a DVD on Mars. And the longest standing members have their

scattered throughout the solar system, and even beyond the solar system.

 

The Planetary Society is a non-profit, educational organization. (I have been a member since 1983, so as to put my money where my mouth is.)

Salve, Amici

 

The (pseudo?)aristotelian treatise De Mundo (Περί κόσμου, cp. II pg 602) informs us that Mars was also called Hercules or Pyrosis.

 

In the Latin translation/adaptation of that treatise by the same name (De Mundo), the (pseudo?) Lucius Apuleius compares Greek and Latin denominations for the planets (cap II, l 710):

 

"Hic Phaenonis globus, quem appellamus Saturnum; post quem Phaethontis secundus est, quem Iovem dicimus: et loco tertio Pyrois, quam multi Herculis, plures Martis stellam vocant. Stilbon, cui quidam Apollinis, ceteri Mercuri nomen dederunt. Quintus Phosphorus, Iunonia, immo Veneris stella censetur."

 

(Latin names in italics, Greek names bold. The Inferior planets Mercury and Venus had double Greek denomination, for their morning and evening versions respectively)

 

And here comes Caius Plinius Secundus Maior, Naturalis Historia, Liber II, cp VI:

 

Saturni autem sidus gelidae ac rigentis esse naturae, multumque ex eo inferiorem Iovis circulum et ideo motu celeriore duodenis circumagi annis. tertium Martis, quod quidam Herculis vocant, igne ardens solis vicinitate, binis fere annis converti, ideoque huius ardore nimio et rigore Saturni, interiectum ambobus, ex utroque temperari Iovem salutaremque fieri.

 

 

"Saturn is a star of a cold and rigid nature, while the orbit of Jupiter is much lower, and is carried round in twelve years. The next star, Mars, which some persons call Hercules, is of a fiery and burning nature, and from its nearness to the sun is carried round in little less than two years. In consequence of the excessive heat of this star and the rigidity of Saturn, Jupiter, which is interposed between the two, is tempered by both of them, and is thus rendered salutary."

 

and ibid. cp. XIII:

 

igitur a terrae centro apsides altissimae sunt Saturno in scorpione, Iovi in virgine, Marti in leone, soli in geminis, Veneri in sagittario, Mercurio in capricorno, lunae in tauro, mediis omnium partibus, et e contrario ad terrae centrum humillimae atque proximae

 

"The apsides which are the highest from the centre of the earth are, for Saturn, when he is in Scorpio, for Jupiter in Virgo, for Mars in Leo, for the Sun in Gemini, for Venus in Sagittarius, and for Mercury in Capricorn, each of them in the middle of these signs; while in the opposite signs, they are the lowest and nearest to the centre of the earth."

(ie, Zodiac constellation for "Herculis" was Leo, named after the Nemean lion)

 

and ibid, cp XVI:

 

suus quidem cuique color est: Saturno candidus, Iovi clarus, Marti igneus, Lucifero candens, Vesperi refulgens, Mercurio radians, lunae blandus, soli, cum oritur, ardens, postea radians, his causis conexo visu et earum quae caelo continentur.

 

"Each of the planets has its peculiar colour; Saturn is white, Jupiter brilliant, Mars fiery, Lucifer is glowing, Vesper refulgent, Mercury sparkling, the Moon mild; the Sun, when he rises, is blazing, afterwards he becomes radiating."

 

BTW, the characteristic redness of the planet Hercules/ Mars/ Pyro(s)is (= Greek for fire) is caused by the abundance of hematite ("blood rock", an iron oxide).

Edited May 31, 2008 by ASCLEPIADES

[Faustus]

A Time Capsule for History Students of the Future:

[At this time t]he Phoenix spacecraft nearing its May 25, 2008 landing on Mars. On board is a silica glass mini-DVD provided by The Planetary Society that includes a quarter-million names (including those of all Planetary Society members) and a collection of Mars-related literature, art, and audio called Visions of Mars.

Phoenix