An artist's impression of Carbon Dioxide frost engulfing NASA's Phoenix Lander at the Martian Polar region
The Phoenix mission is led by the University of Arizona for NASA and was assembled and tested at Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Its landing used descent engines for a controlled touchdown, rather than making an airbag-cushioned landing like those of the Mars Pathfinder and the Mars Exploration Rover missions. The Phoenix mission calls for the solar-powered lander to operate on Mars for up to three months before it is engulfed by the Martian winter and a layer of Carbon Dioxide frost. The spacecraft’s robotic arm will dig a trench to reach the icy layer, probably within a few inches of the surface. Findings indicate the top half meter (20 inches) of Mars’ surface layer is mostly ice throughout large regions of the planet pole-ward of 65 degrees north latitude. Phoenix will seek clues about the history of that ice. Is this the frozen residue of an ancient ocean? Did it diffuse into the ground from water vapor in the atmosphere? Did a retreating ice sheet leave it behind? Information such as the amount of layering, the textures of the ice and soil, and the chemical composition at different depths could distinguish among those and other possibilities. Indicators about the history of the near-surface ice, together with Phoenix instruments’ observations of seasonal changes over a span of several months, will improve understanding about climate cycles on Mars and indicate whether Mars once had an environment that could have supported life.
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Photo credit: © Neil Newton / Alamy / Afripics
License: Royalty Free
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