Phoenix (Mars spacecraft/lander)

The Phoenix is a planned multi-agency Mars lander, headed by the University of Arizona, under the direction of NASA, scheduled to launch in August 2007. It is a partnership of universities, NASA, the Canadian Space Agency, and the aerospace industry. Phoenix is scheduled to land in May 2008 in the planet's water-ice-rich northern polar region. It will dig it's robotic arm into the arctic terrain searching for information on the history of water, and search for environments suitable for microbial life on Mars.

History

In August 2003 NASA selected the University of Arizona "Phoenix" mission for launch in 2007 as what is hoped will be the first in a new line of smaller, low-cost, "Scout" missions in the agency's exploration of Mars program^[1]. The selection was the result of an intense two-year competition with proposals from other institutions. The $325 million NASA award is more than six times larger than any other single research grant in University of Arizona history.

Dr. Peter H. Smith of the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, who heads the Phoenix mission, named the mission after the Phoenix, a mythological bird that is repeatedly reborn of ashes. The reason is because for the lander of the mission they will modify the cancelled Mars Surveyor 2001 Lander, which was originally planned to be carried on board the 2001 Mars Odyssey. Lockheed Martin had kept the nearly-complete lander in environmentally-controlled storage since 2001.

Phoenix is a partnership of universities, NASA centers, and the aerospace industry. The science instruments and operations will be a University of Arizona responsibility. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, will manage the project and provide mission design. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, Colorado, will build and test the spacecraft. Canadian Space Agency will provide the meteorological instrumentation, including an innovative laser-based sensor.

On June 2, 2005, following a critical review of the project's planning progress and preliminary design, it was announced by NASA that the mission is allowed to proceed as planned^[2]. The purpose of the review is to confirm NASA's confidence in the mission.

Mission

The mission has two goals. One is to study the geologic history of water, the key to unlocking the story of past climate change. The second is to search for evidence of a habitable zone that may exist in the ice-soil boundary, the "biological paydirt."

It will be launched by a Boeing Delta 7925 launch vehicle.

Scientific Payload

It will carry improved versions of University of Arizona panoramic cameras and volatiles-analysis instrument from the ill-fated Mars Polar Lander, as well as experiments that had been built for the Mars Surveyor 2001 Lander, including a JPL trench-digging robot arm and a chemistry-microscopy instrument. The science payload also includes a descent imager and a suite of meteorological instruments.

Robotic Arm (RA)

The Robotic Arm is designed to extend 2.35m from it's base on the lander, and have the ability to trench up to half a meter below the surface. It will take samples of dirt and water-ice that will be analyzed with other instruments on the lander. The arm is currently being built by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Robotic Arm Camera (RAC)

The Robotic Arm Camera will be attached to the Robotic Arm, just above the scoop. It will be a full-color camera, which will be able to take pictures of the area, as well verify the samples that the scoop will return, and will be able to examine the grains of the area where the Robotic Arm has just dug up. The camera is being made by the University of Arizona and Max Planck Institute, Germany.

Surface Stereo Imager (SSI)

The Surface Stereo Imager will be the primary camera on the spacecraft. It is a stero camera that is described as "a higher resolution upgrade of the imager used for Mars Pathfinder"^[3]. It is expected to take many stero images of the Martian Artic. It will also be able, using the Sun as a reference, to measure the atmospheric distortion of the Martian atmosphere due to dust and air and other features. The camera is being provided by the University of Arizona.

Thermal and Evolved Gas Analyzer (TEGA)

TEGA is a combination of a high-temperature furnace with a mass spectrometer. It will be used to bake samples of Martian dust, and determine the content of this dust. It has 8 different ovens, each about the size of a large ball-point pen, which will be able to analyze one sample each, for a total of 8 different samples. Team members can measure how much water vapor and carbon dioxide gas are given off, how much water-ice the samples contain, and what minerals are present that may have formed during a wetter, warmer past climate. The instrument will also be capable of measuring any organic volatiles, up to 10 ppb. TEGA is being built by the University of Arizona and University of Texas at Dallas.

Mars Descent Imager (MARDI)

The Mars Descent Imager will be used to take pictures of the Martian soil as the lander descends. It will begin to take pictures after the aeroshell departs, about 5 miles above the Martian soil. These images will also help to pinpoint exactly where the lander has landed. It will be used to take pictures of the landing site, which will be used to find potential targets. It will also be used to learn if the area where the lander lands is typical of the surrounding terrain. It is being built by Malin Space Science Systems.

MARDI will be the lightest camera ever to land on Mars, as well as the most efficient. It only uses 3 watts of power during the imagine process, as compared to the many watts used by most other space cameras.

Microscopy, Electrochemistry, and Conductivity Analyzer (MECA)

MECA is a combination of a wet chemistry lab, optical and atomic force microscope, and a thermal and electrical conductivity probe^[4]. It is being built by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory,

Using this instument, researchers will examine soil particles as small as 16 micrometres across. They will measure electrical and thermal conductivity of soil particles using a probe on the robotic arm scoop. One of the most interesting experiments is the wet chemistry laboratory, Smith said.

"We plan to scoop up some soil, put it in a cell, add water, shake it up, and measure the impurities dissolved in the water that have leached out from the soil. This is important, because if the soil ever gets wet, we'll know if microbes could survive. We'll know if the wet soil is super acidic or alkaline and salty, or full of oxidants that can destroy life. We'll test the environment that microbes might have had to live and grow in," Smith said.

Meteorological Station (MET)

MET will record the daily weather during the course of the Phoenix Mission. It is equipt with a varity of temperature and pressure sensors to do so. It is also equipt with a LIDAR, or Laser Radar, which will be used to find the amount and number of dust particles in the air. It is being build by the Canadian Space Agency.