NASA's Mars Phoenix Lander...has landed [Upd w/ Pics]

[PLAYER57832]

The Phoenix has landed and what a wonderful waste of money it is!

Millions and millions of American tax dollars are at waste sending this stupid camera to a planet far, far away! What good does a stupid piece of machinery on another planet do you? NOTHING! NASA needs to be eliminated to save some money for things that really matter such as healthcare, education, & transportation. No wonder everything is going down the drain, we're sending our money to another planet!

We git a lot more than tang out of the moon landing. No doubt more will come from this.

But, it IS a legitimate point of debate...

[dustn64]

That last picture was pretty damn cool.

no joke...

were you guys expecting some aliens sitting there waiting to dance a jig for us?


And this is amazing. thanks for creating the thread andy.

[Neoteny]

That last picture was pretty damn cool.

no joke...

were you guys expecting some aliens sitting there waiting to dance a jig for us?


And this is amazing. thanks for creating the thread andy.

I was not being facetious. It's amazing what they've managed to capture in those images when you consider the expanses.

[AndyDufresne]

There most certainly are many impressive images. I've always been fascinated by Space, NASA, and other related topics. More updates to come in the next days of course.


--Andy

[jonesthecurl]

And your monkey was right (thanks, Mr Adams) -

this is a fascinating site. Full of good stuff.
If one wanted to question the worth of the mission, the place to do it would be on another thread.
Most CC threads end up in rather random waffle. This one has a specific purpose and should not.
The Mars mission makes me feel both humble and proud.

[AndyDufresne]

The latest from NASA...Now what they've been waiting for--Digging!:

NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander reached out and touched the Martian soil for the first time on Saturday, May 31, the first step in a series of actions expected to bring soil and ice to the lander's experiments.

The lander's Robotic Arm scoop left an impression that resembles a footprint at a place provisionally named Yeti in the King of Hearts target zone, away from the area that eventually will be sampled for evaluation.

Click image to enlarge.

This color image, acquired by NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander's Surface Stereo Imager on Sol 7, the seventh day of the mission (June 1, 2008), shows the so-called "Knave of Hearts" first-dig test area to the north of the lander. The Robotic Arm's scraping blade left a small horizontal depression above where the sample was taken.

Click image to enlarge.

This image from NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander's Robotic Arm Camera (RAC) shows material from the Martian surface captured by the Robotic Arm (RA) scoop during its first test dig and dump on the seventh Martian day of the mission, or Sol 7 (June 1, 2008). The test sample shown was taken from the digging area informally known as "Knave of Hearts."

Scientists speculate that the white patches on the right side of the image could possibly be ice or salts that precipitated into the soil. Scientists also speculate that this white material is probably the same material seen in previous images from under the lander in which an upper surface of an ice table was observed.

--Andy

[AndyDufresne]

Latest from NASA:

This image, taken on Sol 11 (June 5, 2008), the eleventh day after landing, shows the trenches dug by Phoenix's Robotic Arm. The trench on the left is informally called "Dodo" and was dug as a test. The trench on the right is informally called "Baby Bear." The sample dug from Baby Bear will be delivered to the Phoenix's Thermal and Evolved-Gas Analyzer, or TEGA. The Baby Bear trench is 9 centimeters (3.1 inches) wide and 4 centimeters (1.6 inches) deep.

Click image to enlarge.

This image, taken on Sol 11 (June 5, 2008), the eleventh day after landing, shows the Robotic Arm scoop containing a soil sample poised over the partially open door of the Thermal and Evolved-Gas Analyzer's number four cell, or oven.

Light-colored clods of material visible toward the scoop's lower edge may be part of the crusted surface material seen previously near the foot of the lander.

Click image to enlarge.

--Andy

[kerntheconkerer]

That is so neat, too bad they are only black and white :-/

[ParadiceCity9]

They found confirmed ice!

[The Weird One]

They found confirmed ice!

I thought I heard that somewhere, but I wasn't sure. Thanks for confirming it for me.

[InkL0sed]

Dammit, you beat me to it.

[AndyDufresne]

They knew ice was there due to the 2002 Mars Odyssey Orbiter, it was just a matter of getting to it. And since the topic wasn't bumped by me:

The Latest from NASA:

These images show sublimation of ice in the trench informally called "Dodo-Goldilocks" over the course of four days.

In the lower left corner of the left image, a group of lumps is visible. In the right image, the lumps have disappeared, similar to the process of evaporation.

Click image to enlarge.

"The truth we're looking for is not just looking at ice. It is in finding out the minerals, chemicals and hopefully the organic materials associated with these discoveries," said Phoenix Principal Investigator Peter Smith of the University of Arizona, Tucson.

"These latest developments are a major accomplishment and validation of the Mars Program's 'follow-the-water' exploration framework," said Doug McCuistion at NASA Headquarters, Washington, director of the space agency's Mars Program.

Certainly more discoveries will be soon coming. As always, check out NASA TV's schedule for any televised Press Briefings, or additionally visit their Audio Stream to hear any teleconferences.


--Andy

[jonesthecurl]

Wow.

[DaGip]

Look at all that water! Surely we can send astronauts there now to start a colony!

[jonesthecurl]

Yes.

[Juan_Bottom]

So I fired up the Ol' AOL and for the first time in a long time the headline news caught my attention. No Jessica Simpson tonight!
http://news.aol.com/story/_a/scientists ... 1200198344

Scientist think big object wacked Mars....

I've heard this theory before, but never heard anyone get behind it with fervor. They raise a good point, and I for one am backing away from the molten core theory. Though I'm not abandoning it!

[jonesthecurl]

Although it's silly to say there weren't other impacts - there will have been many others on a smaller scale, as evidenced by the craters.

[Juan_Bottom]

Although it's silly to say there weren't other impacts - there will have been many others on a smaller scale, as evidenced by the craters.

Absolutly! But one that blew a whole side off of a planet!?! Now that takes some imagination to picture! I really have no concept of what it would look like.

Kinda worries me sittin' here on it's neighbor..........