Launched in August 2007, the Phoenix Mars Mission reached its critical landing phase on Sunday, May 25, 2008, as the lander sped through the Martian atmosphere at speeds of 12,000 mph, before braking for a powered landing.
Looking For A Parking Spot
The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter used radar to map the insides of the north polar ice cap. Radio waves penetrated through the ice and bounced back at different times depending on the differing concentrations of sand and dust in the ice.
Permafrost
The Phoenix landing site on the Martian northern plains (near 68
Touchdown
In this artist rendition by Corby Waste of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the sophisticated landing system aboard Phoenix allows the spacecraft to touch down within 6.2 miles of the targeted landing area. Thrusters are started when the lander is 1,900 feet above the surface. The navigation system is capable of detecting and avoiding hazards on the surface.
Footprint
Phoenix's footpad rests on the Martian permafrost after landing on May 25, 2008. Radio signals confirming the successful landing arrived on Earth at 7:53:44 p.m. Eastern Time.
Back Home
Ed Sedivy (right), who leads Lockheed Martin's engineering team, and Doug McCuiston point at pictures in the control room at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. as they see the first images following Phoenix's safe landing, Sunday, May 25, 2008.
A view of the Martian northern polar region made by the Surface Stereo Imager Right on NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander, Tuesday, May 27, 2008.
A view of the Martian northern polar region made by the Surface Stereo Imager Left on NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander, Tuesday, May 27, 2008.
A view of the Martian northern polar region made by the Surface Stereo Imager Right on NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander, Tuesday, May 27, 2008.
An Alien World
This image shows the vast plains of the northern polar region of Mars. The flat landscape is strewn with tiny pebbles and shows polygonal cracking, a pattern seen widely in Martian high latitudes -- and also observed in permafrost terrains on Earth. The polygonal cracking is believed to have resulted from seasonal freezing and thawing of surface ice.
The Red Planet's Mysteries
For the first three months of the mission, the science team will analyze data that may provide important answers to the questions: Can the Martian arctic support life? What is the history of water at the landing site? And how is the Martian climate affected by polar dynamics?
Beneath The Surface
Mars is a cold desert planet with no liquid water on its surface. However, discoveries made by the Mars Odyssey Orbiter in 2002 show large amounts of subsurface water-ice in the northern arctic plains.
Robotic Arm
Spacecraft technician Billy Jones inspects the arm during assembly in September 2006. Using the arm, built by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, the mission will study the history of water and search for complex organic molecules in the ice-rich soil.
Rising From The Ashes
Phoenix uses hardware from a spacecraft built for a 2001 launch that was canceled in response to the loss of a similar spacecraft during a 1999 Mars landing attempt. Researchers who proposed the Phoenix mission in 2002 saw the unused spacecraft as a resource for pursuing a new science opportunity.