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Mars probe Phoenix flexes robotic arm
Washington (AFP) May 29, 2008 NASA's Phoenix Mars lander flexed its robotic arm Thursday in a successful test of the key element in the probe's mission to investigate the Red Planet's soil for conditions conducive to life, NASA said. "The arm is ready to go," said Matt Robinson of the US space agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, where the Phoenix mission is managed. "Yesterday we sent commands ... down to the lander to unstow the arm, and today I am ecstatic to let you know that it was successful. "The robotic arm is now unstowed, it's out of its launch restraints." The 2.35 meter (7.7 foot) titanium and aluminum backhoe-like extension, with a scoop on the end to dig into the Martian arctic permafrost-like soil, unlatched its arm-locks by command from the JPL, lifted its forearm and then freed its elbow restraint. "We have achieved a major milestone for the mission," said Barry Goldstein, Phoenix project manager at the JPL. The next step is to test the arm's four joints to be sure it is in working order before beginning to dig into the soil. With its hard scoop on the end, the arm can dig a half-meter (20 inches) into Martian soil, where scientists hope to prove the existence of water in its liquid form and organic minerals, both of which are crucial for the existence of microbial life. After that, scientists will test how the arm is working in a range of temperatures, and extend its camera underneath the three-legged Phoenix to get images of the terrain just below. The spacecraft has already compiled photographs of the stark reddish Martian north pole terrain surrounding it since the landing on Sunday. "We've imaged the entire landing site, all 360 degrees of it. We see it all," Phoenix principal investigator Peter Smith, of the University of Arizona, said. "We are now making plans for where to dig first, and what we'll save for later." Using a panoply of high-tech instrumentation, Phoenix will over the next three months examine the soil and take records of the climate in the Red Planet's arctic, with scientists seeking to understand the history of the presence of water in its three forms there, and hoping to dig up signs of life-supporting organic minerals. On Wednesday NASA resolved a communications problem that held up the arm's deployment for 24 hours, a glitch in the UHF radio link from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter to the lander. Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Share This Article With Planet Earth
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Listen To Phoenix Descend To The Surface Of Mars
Paris, France (ESA) May 29, 2008With data recorded on board Mars Express, you can hear Phoenix descend on to the surface of the Red Planet. After being processed by the Mars Express Flight Control Team, the sounds of Phoenix descending are audible, loud and clear. |
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