It's official - Phoenix is stuck on Mars
Source: Agencies |
May 26, 2010, Wednesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
THE Phoenix lander will, alas, not rise again.
NASA declared the three-legged spacecraft officially dead on Monday after attempts to regain contact failed.
A recent image taken by an orbiting craft showed one of Phoenix's solar panels had collapsed from ice buildup.
Phoenix landed near the Martian north pole on May 25, 2008, and successfully operated for five months - two months longer than planned - until sunlight at its far northern location waned.
Scientists did not expect it to survive the Martian winter but continued to listen for any signs of life.
"We had very little expectation of Phoenix recovering, but it's one of those things we had to try even when the chances are slim," said mission principal investigator Peter Smith of the University of Arizona in Tucson.
The Mars Odyssey orbiter flew over the Phoenix landing site more than 200 times this year in an attempt to regain communication.
Earlier this month, an image taken by another spacecraft, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, showed changes in Phoenix's shadows, consistent with predictions that hundreds of kilograms of carbon dioxide ice accumulating on the spacecraft could bend or break its solar panels.
As the first spacecraft to land in the Martian arctic plains, Phoenix used its robotic arm to dig trenches in the icy soil. One of its early accomplishments was confirming the presence of water ice at its landing site.
The lander also detected traces of perchlorate in the soil. On Earth, the chemical can be found naturally in the Chilean desert where some extreme microbes use it as a source of energy.
NASA declared the three-legged spacecraft officially dead on Monday after attempts to regain contact failed.
A recent image taken by an orbiting craft showed one of Phoenix's solar panels had collapsed from ice buildup.
Phoenix landed near the Martian north pole on May 25, 2008, and successfully operated for five months - two months longer than planned - until sunlight at its far northern location waned.
Scientists did not expect it to survive the Martian winter but continued to listen for any signs of life.
"We had very little expectation of Phoenix recovering, but it's one of those things we had to try even when the chances are slim," said mission principal investigator Peter Smith of the University of Arizona in Tucson.
The Mars Odyssey orbiter flew over the Phoenix landing site more than 200 times this year in an attempt to regain communication.
Earlier this month, an image taken by another spacecraft, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, showed changes in Phoenix's shadows, consistent with predictions that hundreds of kilograms of carbon dioxide ice accumulating on the spacecraft could bend or break its solar panels.
As the first spacecraft to land in the Martian arctic plains, Phoenix used its robotic arm to dig trenches in the icy soil. One of its early accomplishments was confirming the presence of water ice at its landing site.
The lander also detected traces of perchlorate in the soil. On Earth, the chemical can be found naturally in the Chilean desert where some extreme microbes use it as a source of energy.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
