http://www.spaceflightnow.com/mars/phoenix/status.html


We are on our way!!!

One of the two most dangerous steps is behind us, easy few months to come (fingers crossed)

Godspeed, little Phoenix.

Green bird all the way, baby...show us a place no one has ever seen & dig deep!

The launch was spectacular. We got quite nervous after the sudden loss of signal and no confirmation of spacecraft separation. But now it seems that Phoenix has separated and it's on the right way.
And the upcoming events are: 1. Verify spacecraft's health, 2. Decrease spin rate, 3. First TCM

Now that Phoenix is on its way, what is the landing time on May 25, 2008?

Emily has published a great article concerning the current state of Phoenix:

http://www.planetary.org/blog/article/00001068/

this is the most detailed thing about the current state of the spacecraft I've found.

i hope it figures out how to be a rover on its way to mars

so spoiled.

Either that, or it will figure out how to make a burrow to survive harsh Martian winter

Anyone have a list of which HiRISE images are in the landing ellipse?

Don't know if the official Phoenix website will ever update with a "Where is Phoenix now?" page, but you can see Phoenix's current position in space using JPL's Solar System Simulator now:

http://space.jpl.nasa.gov/

Thanks for the update. I was wondering where Phoenix was. It is very interesting that it is closer to the Sun than the earth

I always enjoy the cruise phase, in its way...it's like being a young kid in February looking forward to Christmas! Thanks for setting up & linking, PB.

I did not find a faq for the solar system simulator, so here is my question which is probably frequently asked.

How does the FOV setting work?

I had set FOV to 120 degrees and perspective from above which I interpret as above looking down on the ecliptic or perhaps the orbital plane of the selected target.

For Messenger, Spitzer, and NH, the views somewhat matched my expectation with the observation that the observation point scales with the heliocentric distance of the target, and also increases with FOV.

Rosetta and ulysses have similar looking views with the traces of the planet orbits distorted and Voyager 2 appearing in the view apparently closer to the Sun than NH. I can understand this perspected as an observation point much closer to the ecliptic than with the equivalent Messenger, Spitzer, and NH views. But I don't understand why the views for Rosetta and Ulysses would be so similar with Rosetta orbiting within a few degrees of the ecliptic and Ulysses orbiting near 90 degress inclination from the ecliptic.

Phoenix appears as if the observation point (distance from spacecraft) is fixed and the FOV is varied. With a 120 degree FOV, this gives a near fisheye effect which would explain how Voyager 2 appears in the frame along with Earth and no other planets or spacecraft.

My point is that the rules appear to change for the different spacecraft, or I am missing something here.

First TCM completed successfully:

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2007-088

There is now a "Where is Phoenix?" page on the official website:

http://phoenix.lpl.arizona.edu/where_phoenix.php

Looks like someone on the project saw my post. J/k.

Phoenix Mars Lander Status Report: Radar and Other Gear Pass Checkouts
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2007-094a

First image from Robotic Arm Camera received on Earth:

http://phoenix.lpl.arizona.edu/rac_image.php

Wild! Amazed by the fact that the LEDs provided enough illumination inside the shell for the shot!

Thanks for the Scoop Del Palmer

I think you can see the bio barrier in the background at the bottom - so it might make a bit more sense rotate 180 degrees with the bio barrier at the 'top' and thus what would be the deck at the bottom...maybe Very nice sharp picture though - bodes well for surface ops.

Doug

Some justice...

Hmmmmmm......
I went to the http://phoenix.lpl.arizona.edu/rac_image.php site and scrolling down, I see two versions of "the" scoop image. One is red colored and one is green colored. The green one has two diagonal dark bands to the left and right of the scoop that are not visible as dark bands in the red one.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm..... Looks like a 2-color red/green pair to me.

Yay - first photoshopping from Phoenix I had a hack at fudging a blue and then rotated 180 degrees because I think the Bio Barrier should be at the top to make a bit more sense on the lander deck. GREAT find Ed.

Dog

I'm suspecting those diagonal stripes are a <relatively> red band, perhaps on the stitching, of that folded stuff that looks sort of like airbag but is probably part of the biocover on the arm.

Can see more of the "red" bands with your better color balance.

Yeah - I think it's some of that thermal tape covering the seams on the bio barrier

http://www.lockheedmartin.com/data/assets/15009.gif

http://www.lockheedmartin.com/data/assets/15004.gif

http://www.lockheedmartin.com/data/assets/14809.gif

Doug

<innocently asks> That's sort of like a big condom?

Sort of. Although it opens all down one side. You can see it flip open in the Phoenix animation - in all those shots it's already open- I think the middle of those three shots is the arm its current config just about.

Doug

You're supposed to IGNORE questions like that!

It seems we have a fellow photoshopper on the Phoenix team. On Patrick Woida's latest blog entry on the Phoenix website he's scooped us by producing the first colour image using red green AND blue images.

Here's the link

http://phoenix.lpl.arizona.edu/blogsPost.php?bID=151

Optical microscope passes tests and it's "alive and well":



Image credit: University of Arizona and Phoenix team

You can't take tree rings to Mars! Where's the Planetary Protection Officer?

Seriously, what is that an image of?

I'm going to take a wild guess and say it's a machined metal surface on some part of the instrument.

A thumbprint on the lens...

Phil

Are you sure it's not the backside of one of those "Remove before flight" thingies?

...evil, Gordan, ee-VIL!

It's the RFID tag to make sure the space aliens don't steal it in flight.

I don't think the Decepticon will care about that tag as it stomps on Phoenix once it lands on the Martian surface.

Sorry... Just watched "Transformers" in IMAX. Beagle 2 Mars Rover...

Latest cruise update:

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/phoenix/...x-20071030.html

Delayed second TCM burn performed successfully.

PHOENIX WEB CHAT TODAY!

Wednesday, Feb. 20, at 11:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. MST. Each chat will last from 30 to 45 minutes.

FROM: http://phoenix.lpl.arizona.edu/news.php

"NASA to host web chat with Phoenix mission engineers
by Chelsea Hodson

February 18, 2008 - Ever wonder what it is like to be an engineer for the Phoenix Mars Mission? This week is your time to find out.

NASA's Robotics Alliance Project will be celebrating National Engineers Week by hosting two web chats for young people interested in robotics and engineering.

The chats are scheduled to occur Wednesday, Feb. 20, at 11:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. MST. Each chat will last from 30 to 45 minutes. "


Apparently it is only for young people though :-(

Brian

Orbiter fleet gearing up to support Phoenix's EDL:

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2008-035

They've taken another in flight RAC shot - flicking between the two you can spot a tiny bit of the bio-barrier moving. Probably a thermal thing.

Doug

Thanks for the scoop !

ouch!

ROTFLMAO!!!

Do they intend to adopt the same approach as MER on immediate release of raw images?

I've not heard anything specific or formal - but rumor has it, yes.

On the lighter side of news from Phoenix website --

Phoenix on Jeopardy!

A great name goes a long ways in public awareness, and this little bit of PR supports that.

(Folks outside of the US: Jeopardy! is a long-running trivia game TV show in the States and is syndicated in some international markets. This is good PR exposure to a somewhat general US audience.)