Phoenix Mars Lander Ready to Dig, Sends Photos

The Phoenix Mars Lander unpacked and extended its robot arm today, and should be ready to dig trenches. At this point, it's waiting for scientists back on Earth to decide where they want the lander to take samples.

The lander also sent some photos home.


(from NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona, used w/o permission)
Panorama of Mars Arctic region, from Phoenix lander (May 29, 2008)


(from NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona, used w/o permission)
Fish-eye view of Mars Arctic region, from Phoenix Lander (May 29, 2008)
North is up in this image.


(from NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona, used w/o permission)
News briefing image of area around Phoenix Mars lander (May 29, 2008)
"Scientists ... are having a bit of fun, naming Mars rocks after fairy-tale characters to make them easier to identify. ... It's not just for fun, though. Identifying the various features helps them map out where they will dig. Instead of using numbers, they pick fairy-tale and folk-tale themes, said lead scientist Peter Smith, of the University of Arizona. " (azcentral.com "Mars robotic arm unfolds successfully" (May 29, 2008))


(from NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona, used w/o permission)
Another news briefing image of area around Phoenix Mars lander (May 29, 2008)
"Phoenix transmitted a 360-degree panorama of its frigid Martian world, freed its nearly 8-foot robotic arm, tested a laser instrument for studying dust and clouds, and transmitted its second weather report on Wednesday evening."
More at "NASA Phoenix Mars Lander Puts Arm and Other Tools to Work" (NASA press release (May 29, 2008))


(from NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona, used w/o permission)
Mars weather report for Phoenix lander, Sol 2 (May 29, 2008). Information provided by Canadian LIDAR package on Phoenix.
" 'The Canadians are walking on moonbeams. It's a huge achievement for us,' said Jim Whiteway Canadian Science lead from York University, Toronto. The lidar is a critical component of Phoenix's weather station, provided by the Canadian Space Agency. The instrument is designed to detect dust, clouds and fog by emitting rapid pulses of green laser-like light into the atmosphere. The light bounces off particles and is reflected back to a telescope." More at "NASA Phoenix Mars Lander Puts Arm and Other Tools to Work" (NASA press release (May 29, 2008))
That's cold, even by Minnesota standards.

More at Phoenix Mars Lander

Links to more 'Mars' posts on this blog at "Mars, Mostly."