Phoenix Mars Mission

 

Objectives

 

 

 

Three-dimensional image of the Martian arctic created using

data from the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter (MOLA)

aboard Global Surveyor.

(Image Credit: NASA; Greg Shirah, SVS)

This magnified view from NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity of a portion of a

Martian rock called "Upper Dells" shows evidence that sediments that formed

the rock were laid down in flowing water.

(Image Credit: NASA/JPL/Cornell/USGS)

 

Objectives

 

 

Phoenix Mars Mission's main objective is to launch this mission to taste Martian water and search for the organic carbon building-blocks of life near the planet’s polar regions. 

 

NASA Science Goals

Phoenix seeks to verify the presence of the Martian Holy Grail: water and habitable conditions. In doing so, the mission strongly complements the four goals of NASA's Mars Exploration Program.

 

 The two main objectives of the phoenix mars lander are to 1:study the history of water in all of its phases and 2:search for evidence of habitable zone and access the potential of the ice-soil boundary.

 

The phoenix mars landers science goals are to determine if life ever arose on mars, characterize the climate of mars, characterize the geology of mars, and prepare for human exploration of mars.

 

                                                

The following table shows the relationships between Phoenix's science objectives, the scientific measurements to be made, and the instruments that will make these measurements.                                                                                                               

 

Verify presence of water ice               Determine soil layering and depth to ice layer(s)           Determine porosity of soil and ice             Show links between ice, organics, salts, and other minerals             Measure carbonates               Measure soil chemistry, including acidity and saltiness               Measure isotopic ratios of hydrogen, carbon, and oxygen               Survey area and trench geology           Look at microscopic structure of soil and ice             Understand if sedimentary layers exist           Measure ground and ice temperature and heat transfer               Look at daily and seasonal variations of temperature and pressure               Measure humidity             Measure wind speed             Examine clouds and atmospheric dust             Look for short-lived liquid water in exposed ice layer               Measure presence of life supporting elements             Measure chemical energy potential               Measure amount of organics               Measure organic concentration versus depth               Measure amount of oxidizing material               Determine carbon isotope ratios for evidence of biological potential

                                                                                                                                                                           

Key:

SSI = Surface Stereo Imager

RAC = Robotic Arm Camera

MARDI = Mars Descent Imager

TEGA = Thermal and Evolved Gas Analyzer

MECA = Microscopy, Electrochemistry, and Conductivity Analyzer

WC = Wet Chemistry Experiment

M = Microscopy, including the Optical Microscope and the Atomic Force Microscope

TECP = Thermal and Electrical Conductivity Probe

MET = Meteorological Station

 

 

 

Links                                                               

 

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