The Arizona Daily Star is doing a series on space science at the University of Arizona in preparation for the Phoenix launch. Too bad they forgot that there is more to space science than Mars. I understand, given that these articles were written for the Phoenix launch, but given the broader scope of some of the articles, it would have been nice for them to remember the non-Mars related research that is done here:

http://www.azstarnet.com/special/spaceu

Now, VP, why would you of all people ever feel like that?

True enough, though. Outer-system research is definitely revealing considerably more dynamism than anyone would have ever expected, and therefore also many, many important research objectives. Problem is that most of the general public knows at least something about only one other planet (which shall remain nameless), period, so of course there will be a focus on a goal that can be easily identified. For example, I have a great deal of trouble explaining to people that both Io and Titan are satellites of other planets...they just don't get it, even very intelligent, exceedingly literate people, because neither the background nor the core interest is there. It's an uphill battle, but one that can be won...

Unpalatable as it seems, we as a community of both real-live scientists like yourself and rabid lay-enthusiasts like me have to consider marketing and other things related to human behavior and public perceptions in order to obtain funding. For these and other much more pragmatic reasons, the launch ratio between Mars and outer-planet missions is probably gonna be at least 5 to 1 for the forseeable future...but at least, the door to the future is being propped open thereby.

Go Phoenix!

Full agreement on that!

...Our Stu made a great approach to the mission back at spacEurope.
I'm really happy with the result of that Phoenix Special, all the participations brought different perspectives about the mission, from the sometimes not so mediatic and forgotten technological details, to astrobiology, passing by ethics, and poetry...
Better than I expected...and Friday's guest is PI Peter Smith...
Couldn't find a better way to wrap it up...

Launch postponed 24 hours. Threat of bad weather moving in today preventing second stage loading.

At least I can watch it on TV at home as hopefully Sky News will carry a feed on the news multiscreen thing and I'll be able to watch it at home - failing that, I can just watch it at home with a web feed.


Doug

What will happen if Phoenix fails to launch until 7? Will there be problems with the upcoming launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour?

Rats...can't find an update on the Web for this, must be especially fatfingered today. BP, do you have the new launch time?

And, yeah, ZV...that would be a conflict. I expect that Phoenix would get priority, though, since planetary launch windows are far more restrictive than those for LEO.

http://www.spaceflightnow.com/mars/phoenix...716windows.html

Phoenix has priority so I would expect the shuttle to delay if Phoenix does not go by the 5th, maybe the 6th but unlikely. If Phoenix was delayed due to a technical problem that needed fix time, then it could just go on the other side of shuttle. But for weather they are sure to get Phoenix off the ground first.

The shuttle is facing problems of its own right now though.

Is there even a conflict at all? They are launching from different pads and the support infrastructure probably is different as well.

I think it's a matter of range safety rules, UG...only one launch at a time in order to focus any (God forbid) emergency response efforts.

I've got the times converted to UTC in the blog.

--Emily

The range cannot support more than one launch at a time. They must reconfigure between launches, and the ideal time between is 48 hours.

A Mars launch August 6 would leave only 37 hours of time, but I've heard at least one person say they could theoretically do it.

Also is there an option for extending the launch window period? As I remember problems with Opportunity 4 years ago nearly forced managers to think about one or two days additional time?

The more precise updated times are 5:26:34am and 6:02:59am.

I don't remember about Opportunity. It had a Delta 2-Heavy so maybe that's why.

I have heard conflicting reports of the window ending Aug 24 and 25.

Thanks for the launch time updates, BP & Emily...very much appreciated!

they use the same range

Ben... Always the bearer of good news.

When I saw a message from VP on a Mars mission topic I thought : "what is he doing on this side of the Solar system? "
Now I understand

I was thinking about posting Peter Smith's participation in the spacEurope Phoenix Special but as the launch has been postponed and not knowing if it may happen again possible I've anticipated the publishment for...today.

"Our studies of Mars have proven that life is not easily found on the Martian surface. The atmosphere has only the slightest hint that there may be biologically-produced gas (methane) at the parts per billion level. None of the fleet of orbiters can point to a location where life exists. Without exploring the surface, answers will never be found to this most intriguing question—are we alone?"

Does anyone know if the second stage fueling was completed this morning?

Yes it was.

Awesome. Thanks Ben

Too strange they can't make it on Friday...

It was mentioned in a NASA press release yesterday...

"Due to a forecast for severe weather around the Kennedy Space Center launch pad in Florida on Tuesday afternoon, fueling of the second stage will not be completed. Although fueling is expected to be finished Wednesday morning, there is insufficient contingency time in the schedule to move forward with the launch on Friday."

That probably refers to range set-up time; remember the problems with the telemetry relay aircraft that in part caused the Dawn slip? Smart to have some buffer time to make sure that all the assets are ready.

(A delaminated aileron right out of Depot maintenance...still ticked off about that! )

EDIT: As (I believe) BP mentioned, Phoenix definitely has priority, and Endevour apparently has a cabin pressure leak, which are always a real joy to find & fix...pityin' the Shuttle maintainers right about now, their inner ears probably feel pretty lousy after a few pressure cycles:

http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/space/08/01/s...e.ap/index.html

Interplanetary networking: ESA’s Mars Express will keep an eye on NASA’s Phoenix
http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMWNCWUP4F_index_0.html

I'll be out of possibilities to watch launch on saturday or sunday but not out of telephone reach.
Before the Internet, I used to listen launches but I've lost telephone n° since. Does anybody know the phone N° I'll have to dial in the KSC to listen to the launch...if such a phone N° still exist ?
Many thanks

Isn't that a bit like listening to news coverage of an eclipse of the Sun on the radio?

" information to two of NASA’s satellites already orbiting the Red Planet. To be on the safe side, NASA has requested Mars Express, which has been in orbit around Mars since December 2003, to also monitor the EDL phase."


requested..REQUESTED!!
With the ammount of DSN time we've had from NASA, ESA should have been knocking on JPL's door "Is there anything we can do - anything at all?"


Doug

Well, they probably didn't need to request real hard...

Oh, Doug, relax. I'm sure ESA wouldn't have said no -- but these things can't happen without an apalling quantity of paperwork, which must begin with a formal request from NASA to ESA. (This is probably not just for ESA's sake; I'm sure there's a lot of annoying ITAR stuff that must be got through to allow the transmission of information about Phoenix to ESA.)

--Emily

When I read this over on the PB, I read "free lunch photographer."

No offense, Ben: I know it's no picnic to get images as beautiful as yours.

True, but then they'll make us wait six to nine months for the images, and when we do get them they will have been airbrushed over by an artist.

I had interpreted the release as monitoring the "tones" from EDL. Is imaging planned? A photo of the entry contrail would be awesome!

The radio emissions of the Sun can't get to Earth during an eclipse of the Sun
I don't know how you feel yourselve (and others) but images are one, and, by listening at communications during the countdown one can feel all the tenses of the action and I love that. It's quite the same as listening to the EDL... ok may be not the same if we can see the contrail live next year ( ). So, if somebody get the phone N° I'm looking for ....

I'm with Climber on this one, the solar eclipse analogy was a bad one. I'd go as far as to say the audio is more important in giving the feel of a launch than visuals are. The radio chatter and engine roar can be just as exciting as nice visuals, in fact I can think of a few launch videos that are awesome but really spoiled by bad audio. MRO comes to mind for some reason... On the other hand I'd kill for an audio of Saturn V first launch with Walter Cronkite yelling "My God! The building's shaking!".

Audio "We have had an anomaly"

Video - A Delta II exploding.

Audio is better than nothing, but it's doesn't tell the whole story. BUT - I would trade video for proper comms loop audio

Doug

The last post of Doug made me shivering because the first thing I read was "A Delta II exploding"

Now clouds are the only concern, but chance for delay because of bad weather is low.

A bit off topic here...
Cool to see that on the Max Plänck Institute site has on its site two references to know more about the Robotic Arm Camera onboard the Phoenix...: University of Arizona and...mine...

Cool!!! US, can you post a direct link to your story? I can read like maybe three words of German...

Links are right at the bottom of the page and in English.

Nice work getting linked Ustrax.

James

D'oh! So it is; I'm a dolt, was looking for an embedded article. Thank you, James, and congrats again, US; nicely done.

I was watching the press conference, the team is ready for a Saturday liftoff. Go, Phoenix!

Btw what would be the GMT times for the launch attempt - August 4th, Attempts: 5:26 and 6:02 a.m.?

Those are EDT. Add four hours.

Thank you very much! I also thought it was so, I needed to be sure! Once again, thank you!

But don't post anything for at least four hours: We don't want to know what happens before we see it ourselves

So, you're not at the KSC, Ustrax !

Did you hear about that "air condition problem"? I hope this won't have any impact on the spacecraft's health.

Whatever happened (sounded like a power surge from a t-storm that affected the air conditioning into the payload fairing) appears to have been a minor issue that has been cleared or will be cleared shortly.

It was cleared