NASA Mission Update: PHOENIX
It dug, scooped, baked and sniffed its way into NASA History. After more than five months on the Martian surface, NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander sent its last signal on November 2, 2008. Its shutdown was expected; the shortened days of the Martian autumn meant Phoenix could no longer get enough sunlight to recharge its batteries and operate its instruments.
Barry Goldstein: "We were born out of the failure of the Mars ’98 Lander, and a lot of people were rather negative; this mission shouldn't fly, the entry descent and landing system is proven to be failed. But, none of this truly believed that in our heart. We believed that if you could basically test something and work out all the bugs to the best of your ability, you can make things right. So, first and foremost I think the legacy is that we've learned from our mistakes, and we’ve shown how to do it right."
After descending on the Red Planet May 25, 2008, Phoenix made a number of important discoveries at its arctic landing site: most significantly, it verified the presence of water -- ice on the Martian subsurface. The lander also located small concentrations of salts; discovered perchlorate salt; and found calcium carbonate, all of which are significant contributions in the on-going search for evidence of a past or current microbial presence on the Red Planet.
During the span of its operational life, more than two months longer than its original 90-day mission, the Phoenix Mars Lander also sent back to Earth more than 25,000 unprecedented pictures of the Martian surface and its skies - and enough data for scientists to study and analyze for years to come about whether life has ever existed on Mars.
Barry Goldstein: I think the epitaph for Phoenix is: we had a great team, we had a great mission, and we've accomplished something that was never accomplished before, landing north of an arctic circle or Antarctic circle on another planet; it’s an enormous success. I think it's historic.
For additional information about the Phoenix mission findings, visit:
www.nasa.gov/phoenix.
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