Nearly a Decade After Mars Phoenix Landed, Another Look

The Phoenix lander itself, plus its back shell and parachute, are still visible in the image taken Dec. 21, 2017, by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.

But an animated-blink comparison with an image from about two months after the May 25, 2008, landing shows that patches of ground that had been darkened by removal of dust during landing events have become coated with dust again.

In August 2008, Phoenix completed its three-month mission studying Martian ice, soil and atmosphere. The lander worked for two additional months before reduced sunlight caused energy to become insufficient to keep the lander functioning. The solar-powered robot was not designed to survive through the dark and cold conditions of a Martian arctic winter.

For additional information about the Phoenix mission, visit here

Related Links
Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
Mars News and Information at MarsDaily.com
Lunar Dreams and more

Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter preparing for years ahead Pasadena CA (JPL) Feb 12, 2018 NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) has begun extra stargazing to help the space agency accomplish advances in Mars exploration over the next decade. The spacecraft already has worked more than double its planned mission life since launch in 2005. NASA plans to keep using it past the mid-2020s. Increased reliance on a star tracker, and less on aging gyroscopes, is one way the mission is adapting to extend its longevity. Another step is wringing more useful life from batteries. The mission's e

U.S., Israel test Arrow 3 missile system China to Develop Sea-Based Missile Interceptors Lockheed awarded $523M for Patriot missiles for Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Romania Beijing holds successful missile defense test Pentagon looks to counter rivals' hypersonic missiles Navy turns to General Dynamics for anti-missile protection Raytheon awarded $12M for work on Standard Missile Thales to provide rockets for Spanish, German helicopters Orbital ATK contracted for testing of drone missile targets General Atomics enlists Boeing for its MQ-25 Stingray proposal Programming drones to fly in the face of uncertainty Alleged Iranian UAV captured by Israel is 'copy' of US' Sentinel UAV Astrophysicists Warn Us Against Opening Malicious E.T. Messages Northrop Grumman awarded $429M contract for Polar payloads Improve European defence with new commercial space capabilities Military innovation demands state-of-the-art satellite connectivity for maritime applications GenDym awarded contract for Army's Stryker vehicles Marines drink cobra blood in US-Thai war drills Rheinmetall to provide munitions to Navy, Marine Corps Boeing contracted by Air Force for MOP 'bunker busters' Russia's Kalashnikov becomes majority private-owned Airbus to pay 81 mn euros to end German corruption probe US budget outline calls for huge Pentagon increase, cuts to State France hikes defence spending to hit NATO target Defying US, Paris and Berlin stand firm on EU defence pact West's attitude stoking tensions in Balkans: Lavrov German army facing 'big gaps' as spending cuts bite Polish PM slams NATO 'free riders' before Berlin visit Scalable and cost-effective manufacturing of thin film devices Ultra-efficient removal of carbon monoxide using gold nanoparticles on a molecular support Fast-spinning spheres show nanoscale systems' secrets Scientists observe nanowires as they grow

Buy Advertising

Editorial Enquiries

The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2018 - Space Media Network. AFP, UPI and IANS newswire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement