[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Mars probe lands safely > Weather station built by Canada > PAUL TAYLOR > E-mail Paul Taylor > | > Read Bio > | > Latest Columns > May 26, 2008 > After a nine-month journey across 680 million kilometres of space, the > U.S. > probe > named Phoenix made a perfect three-point landing in the frigid northern > polar region > of Mars last night. > The spacecraft is equipped with a Canadian-built meteorological station > that > > should > provide the first daily weather bulletins from the surface of the Red > Planet. > Phoenix slammed into the thin Martian atmosphere at a speed of 20,400 > kilometres > an hour. Using a heat shield, a parachute and finally retro-rockets to > slow > its descent > to just eight kilometres an hour, the vehicle touched down on three > shock-absorbing > legs. > Once on the ground, a brief stream of data indicated it had survived the > do-or-die > plunge. > "We are thrilled the landing was successful," said a jubilant Danielle > Cormier, an > engineer with the Canadian Space Agency. > But it will likely take a day or more before mission scientists can > collect > data > and run tests to determine if the Canadian weather station is working > properly. > Although Phoenix has already survived its two biggest challenges - the > launch from > Earth and the landing on Mars - Canadian scientists are still nervous > about > the condition > of their weather instruments. > "Some people refer to the three Ts - or terrors - of space flight: > Take-off, > > touch-down > and turn-on," said Jim Whiteway, an associate professor at York University > in Toronto > and lead scientist for the Canadian contribution to the $420-million (U.S) > mission. > "[It's] mainly the 'turn-on' that we are worried about." > The $37-million metrological instrument package - which will measure > temperature, > pressure, wind and clouds - represents the Canadian Space Agency's biggest > investment > yet in the exploration of Mars. > Prof. Whiteway said the data gathered by Canada's weather station, which > includes > a laser device that can analyze dust and ice crystals in the atmosphere, > could prove > invaluable for scientists planning future missions to the fourth planet > from > > the > sun. > "If there is going to be exploration with people, we will have to know > well > in advance > the environment they are going to encounter," he said. > The probe touched down on an arctic plain known as Vastitas Borealis. > After > broadcasting > data that confirmed it had made a safe landing, Phoenix's radio went > silent > to conserve > limited power reserves. > The lander was programmed to wait 20 minutes for the dust to settle before > opening > up its two circular-shaped solar panels - the main energy source for the > 90-day mission. > Then two stereoscopic cameras were scheduled to be deployed on a mast > rising > > 2.1 > metres above the Martian surface. The cameras' first target is the lander > itself. > They were programmed to take pictures of the solar panels, so scientists > could be > assured the craft had adequate power to continue with its duties. > If everything goes according to plan, mission scientists should receive > the > first > images from Phoenix about two hours after touchdown. > Unlike the recent wheeled rovers - Spirit and Opportunity - Phoenix will > be > staying > in one spot. It doesn't need to move around because its main goal is to > find > > water > - which is believed to lie just under its landing legs. Data gleaned from > Mars orbiters > suggest substantial amounts of frozen water exist beneath the surface in > the > > northern > polar regions of the Red Planet. > "At most, half a metre below the surface is accessible water-ice - and > that > is what > we are after," said Barry Goldstein, project manager for Phoenix at the > U.S. > > National > Aeronautics and Space Administration's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in > Pasadena, Calif. > To get to that water, the probe is equipped with a 2.35-metre-long robotic > arm that > can dig a trench. > Scientists hope the arm will scoop up water-ice mixed in with the Martian > soil. Water > would be an essential commodity for any human colony on Mars. > The samples will be deposited into onboard mini labs where they will also > be > > analyzed > for the presence of organic compounds - the basic building blocks of life. > Although Mars is now a cold, dry and seemingly barren planet, scientists > believe > it was once more like Earth, with liquid water flowing over its surface. > Phoenix > could help determine if the Red Planet was ever capable of supporting > life.
