U Arizona led Phoenix Lander team determining habitability of Mars ice: related news

U. Arizona-led Phoenix Lander team determining habitability of Mars ice

After weeks of speculation, the University of Arizona-led Phoenix Lander sent back data last week confirming that it had found ice from water on Mars, a huge milestone for the project.

Phoenix Lander Just Watchin' the Clouds Go By

So, what do you do on a holiday? It's Labor Day here in the U.S., and the Phoenix lander on Mars is just watching the clouds go by across the Martian sky. This movie clip consists of 10 frames taken over a 10 minutes period by the Surface Stereo Imager on the lander. The images were actually taken on Sol 94 (August 29 here on Earth) at 2:52 to 3:02 local time at the Phoenix landing site on Mars northern polar region. Scientists say particles of water-ice make up these clouds, like ice-crystal cirrus clouds on Earth. Ice hazes have been common at the Phoenix site in recent days. But, of course, Phoenix is still hard at work on Mars, and recent images downloaded from the lander show the doors have been opened on another tiny oven on the TEGA (Thermal and Evolved Gas Analyzer), oven #1, to bake another soil sample.

Mars bake test hastened after oven short circuit

This artist rendition provided by NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory shows the Phoenix lander on the arctic plains of Mars digging a trench through the upper soil layer. The Phoenix Mars lander suffered a short circuit several weeks ago to one of its eight tiny test ovens. Scientists fear another outage could render the crucial equipment useless. This artist rendition provided by NASA and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory shows the Phoenix lander on the arctic plains of Mars digging a trench through the upper soil layer. The Phoenix Mars lander suffered a short circuit several weeks ago to one of its eight tiny test ovens. Scientists fear another outage could render the crucial equipment useless. (AP Photo/NASA-JPL, Cory Waste)

Phoenix Relegated to Scraping the Sidewalk

If humans ever build a city on Mars, perhaps (in its retirement) the Phoenix Lander can apply for a job with the city's public works department to scrape ice off sidewalks. Phoenix has been trying to dig down deeper into the "Snow White" trench and has been digging, scooping and scraping the ice layer that earlier soil scooping exposed. The robotic arm team is working to get an icy sample into the Robotic Arm scoop for delivery to the Thermal and Evolved Gas Analyzer (TEGA). Ray Arvidson of the Phoenix team, known as the "dig czar," said the hard Martian surface that Phoenix has reached is proving to be a difficult target, and compared the process to scraping a sidewalk. "We have three tools on the scoop to help access ice and icy soil," Arvidson said.

NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander has taken the first-ever image of a single particle of Mars' ubiquitous dust.

This image, released Aug. 14, 2008 and taken by NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander's Surface Stereo Imager on June 12, 2008, shows the Lander's Robotic Arm scoop after delivering the first sample of dug-up soil to Phoenix's Microscopy, Electrochemistry and Conductivity Analyzer, or MECA, instrument suite. The Lander has sent back the first-ever image of a speck of red Martian dust taken through an atomic force microscope. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

NASA's Phoenix Lander goes sleepless on Mars

A NASA handout image shows the Robotic Arm on NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander with a sample of martian soil. A NASA statement said that analysis of images from NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander has scientists increasingly convinced of ice near the Red Planet's North Pole.(Photo:Agencies)

NASA's Phoenix Lander goes sleepless on Mars

A NASA handout image shows the Robotic Arm on NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander with a sample of martian soil. A NASA statement said that analysis of images from NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander has scientists increasingly convinced of ice near the Red Planet's North Pole.

NASA's Phoenix Lander goes sleepless on Mars

A NASA handout image shows the Robotic Arm on NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander with a sample of martian soil. A NASA statement said that analysis of images from NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander has scientists increasingly convinced of ice near the Red Planet's North Pole.

NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander enlarges trench in search of ice

NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander is using its robotic arm to enlarge an exposure of hard subsurface material expected to yield a sample of ice-rich soil for analysis in one of the lander's ovens.

Phoenix Digs Deep for 90th Day on Mars

The next sample of Martian soil being grabbed for analysis is coming from a trench about three times deeper than any other trench NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander has dug. On Tuesday, August 26, the scoop on the lander's robotic arm will pick up a sample of soil from the bottom of a trench called "Stone Soup" which is about 18 centimeters, or 7 inches deep. Tuesday will be the 90th Martian day or sol that the lander has been on the Red Planet, which was the original amount of time set for Phoenix's primary mission. NASA has extended the mission through September, but the clock is ticking for the plucky little lander and the oncoming winter at Mars' north polar region.

NASA?s Phoenix Mars Lander scoops up soil sample for lab analysis

NASA’s Phoenix Mars Lander scoops up soil sample for lab analysisWashington, August 23 : NASA’s Phoenix Mars Lander has scooped up a soil sample from an intermediate depth between the ground surface and a subsurface icy layer and delivered it to a laboratory oven on the spacecraft for analysis.

Scientists confirm water on Mars

A full circle panoramic view of Mars taken by NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander is shown in this undated handout photo released to Reuters July 31, 2008. NASA scientists said on Thursday they had definitive proof that water exists on Mars after further tests on ice found on the planet in June by the Phoenix Mars Lander. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

Mars Polar Lander, USA

The Mars Surveyor '98 Programme comprised of two spacecraft launched separately, the Mars Climate Orbiter (formerly the Mars Surveyor '98 Orbiter) launched in 1996 and the Mars Polar Lander (formerly the Mars Surveyor '98 Lander).

Mars Polar Lander - Space Probe, USA

The Mars Surveyor '98 Programme was comprised of two spacecraft launched separately: the Mars Climate Orbiter (formerly the Mars Surveyor '98 Orbiter) launched in 1996, and the Mars Polar Lander (formerly the Mars Surveyor '98 Lander).

Mars Lander Stymied by Ice; Like "Scraping a Sidewalk"

The Mars Phoenix lander is having a difficult time digging through the tough ice at the planet's north pole to collect a usable ice sample for analysis, mission scientists say.

Phoenix Mars Lander Explores Site By Trenching

NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander scientists and engineers are continuing to dig into the area around the lander with the spacecraft's robotic arm, looking for new materials to analyze and examining the soil and ice subsurface structure.

Phoenix Mars Lander Explores Site By Trenching

NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander scientists and engineers are continuing to dig into the area around the lander with the spacecraft's robotic arm, looking for new materials to analyze and examining the soil and ice subsurface structure.

Phoenix Mars Lander Explores Site by Trenching

TUCSON, Ariz. -- NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander scientists and engineers are continuing to dig into the area around the lander with the spacecraft's robotic arm, looking for new materials to analyze and examining the soil and ice subsurface structure.

Phoenix finds ice on Mars

This picture by the Mars Phoenix lander shows clumps of ice in the bottom left corner of the image on the left, which disappeared four days later as seen on the image on the right, which is typical of ice melting and evaporating. NASA

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