Critical Test Looms for Phoenix Mars Lander

July 6, 2008

Murphy’s Law always applies when we attempt major leaps in space exploration, and the Phoenix Mars Mission is no exception. Soon after landing, the NASA lab on the Martian North Pole had trouble filtering soil into a collection area because it was clumpy. The unit was shaken in an effort to break the clumps. The shaking is believed to have caused an electrical short circuit on one of the ovens designed to analyze chemicals in the soil. New material was expected to be deposited in the Lander’s wet chemistry lab as early as today and it’s possible the oven will short circuit again. “Since there is no way to assess the probability of another short circuit occurring, we are taking the most conservative approach and treating the next sample to TEGA as possibly our last,” says Peter Smith, Phoenix’s principal investigator.

Here Peter Smith discuss the Lander’s goals in a Design News podcast.

Posted by Doug Smock on July 6, 2008 | Comments (0)

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