Phoenix begins it’s journey to Mars
On a wonderful Saturday morning, NASA’s Phoenix blasted off at 5:26 a.m. EDT on a 422 million miles journey to Mars. A Delta II rocket lit up the sky over Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida as it carried the Phoenix spacecraft on the first leg of its journey to Mars. The Rocket looked streaking through the sky like a fireball creating an artificial sunrise in the early, pitch-dark morning. Many researchers and other concerned officials shouted out the final 10 seconds of the countdown and then toasted with champagne. Phoenix was scheduled to launch on Friday, but sever weather conditions prevented fuelling of the rocket’s second stage. The Phoenix Mars Lander won’t be looking for evidences of life on Mars but rather traces of organic compounds in the baked and moistened samples, which would be possible indicator of conditions favorable for life, either now or once upon a time. NASA is aiming for the planet’s high northern latitudes in search of ice lurking beneath the surface. If conditions remained favorable and everything goes as plan, Phoenix will be the first successful lander on Mars after Viking 1 and 2 probes,after more than 30 years. The Spacecraft includes a robotic arm for scooping up samples of muddy, icy Martian soil to a depth of 55 centimeters. The most difficult task for Phoenix is testing of carbon-based compounds in the soil. Peter Smith, the mission’s principal investigator and a professor at the University of Arizona, said: The real question we’re trying to answer is: ‘has that ice melted’, because liquid water in contact with soil may provide us with a habitable environment. The Phoenix Mars Lander is expected to reach Mars on May 25 in 2008. Keep your fingers crossed! Via: Wired
Tags: Delta II rocket, Mars Lander, NASA, Phoenix, Technology
