EDL Animation - This Entry, Descent and Landing animation has been posted in connection with a Phoenix Mars Lander news briefing on May 25, 2008. Video credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona.
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SSI Image Animation - This animation has been posted in connection with a Phoenix Mars Lander news briefing on May 25, 2008. It shows a simulation of the Surface Stereo Imager viewing the solar panels. Video credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona.
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How Phoenix Gets a Look at its Footing - This artist's animation shows how NASA's three-legged Phoenix Mars Lander is able to get a better look at its footing and the physical characteristics of the underlying soil on the surface of the Red Planet. Because the Surface Stereo Imager is able to swivel in any compass direction as well as up and down, it can "see" and take snapshots of the footpad beneath the camera's location near one edge of the spacecraft deck. Each footpad is about the size of a large dinner plate, measuring 11.5 inches from rim to rim. The base of the footpad is shaped like the bottom of a shallow bowl to provide stability. The footpad image was taken by the spacecraft's Surface Stereo Imager at 17:07 local Mars time, shortly after landing May 25, 2008. Video credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/Texas A&M.
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Phoenix's Position on Mars - This animation shows an orbital view sweeping upward from Olympus Mons, the tallest volcano in the solar system, to the location of NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander in the northern polar reaches of Mars. The animation then zooms in on the flat terrain where Phoenix touched down May 25, 2008. Phoenix eased down to the surface of Mars at approximately 68 degrees north latitude, 234 degrees east longitude, landing in the center of the red circle at the end of the animation. Before Phoenix landed, engineers had predicted it would land within the blue ellipse. Phoenix touched down on the Red Planet at 4:53 p.m. Pacific Time (7:53 p.m. Eastern Time), May 25, 2008, in an arctic region called Vastitas Borealis. The shaded relief map is based on data from the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter on NASA's Mars Global Surveyor orbiter. Video credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona.
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How to Take a Picture of a Spacecraft Landing - This artist's animation shows how NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter was able to snap a picture of NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander as it parachuted down to the surface of Mars. The purple lines shows Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's field of view. The image of Phoenix on its parachute was taken by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Video credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona.
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Looking out Across the Martian Polar Plains - This movie shows the vast plains of the northern polar region of Mars, as seen by NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander shortly after touching down on the Red Planet. The flat landscape is strewn with tiny pebbles and shows polygonal cracking, a pattern seen widely in Martian high latitudes and also observed in permafrost terrains on Earth. The polygonal cracking is believed to have resulted from seasonal contraction and expansion of surface ice. Phoenix touched down on Mars at 4:53 p.m. Pacific Time (7:53 p.m. Eastern Time), May 25, 2008, in an arctic region called Vastitas Borealis, at 68 degrees north latitude, 234 degrees east longitude. This is an approximate-color image taken by the spacecraft's Surface Stereo Imager, inferred from two color filters, a violet, 450-nanometer filter and an infrared, 750-nanometer filter. Video credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona.
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How Phoenix Talks to Earth - This animation shows how NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander stays in contact with Earth. As NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter passes overhead approximately every two hours, Phoenix transmits images and scientific data from the surface to the orbiter, which then relays the data to NASA's Deep Space Network of antennas on Earth. Similarly, NASA's Deep Space Network transmits instructions from Earth to Odyssey, which then relays the information to Phoenix. Video credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona.
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How to Take a Picture of A Robotic Arm - This movie first shows an artist's animation of NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander snapping a picture of its arm, then transitions to the actual picture of the arm in its stowed configuration, with its biobarrier unpeeled. The arm is still folded up, with its "elbow" shown at upper left and its scoop at bottom right. The biobarrier is the shiny film seen to the left of the arm in this view. The barrier is an extra precaution to protect Mars from contamination with any bacteria from Earth. While the whole spacecraft was decontaminated through cleaning, filters and heat, the robotic arm was given additional protection because it is the only spacecraft part that will directly touch the ice below the surface of Mars. Before the arm was heated, it was sealed in the biobarrier, which is made of a trademarked film called Tedlar that holds up to baking like a turkey-basting bag. This ensures that any new bacterial spores that might have come about during the final steps before launch, and during the journey to Mars, will not contact the robotic arm. After Phoenix landed, springs were used to pop back the barrier, giving it room to deploy. The arm is scheduled to begin to unlatch on the third Martian day of the mission, or Sol 3 (May 28, 2008). This image was taken on Sol 1 (May 26, 2008) by the spacecraft's Surface Stereo Imager. Video credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/Texas A&M.
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Simulated Imaging of Phoenix Landing Site - This animation simulates Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter using the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) camera to take a picture of the Phoenix lander roughly 22 hours after landing. The animation concludes with the HiRISE image showing the parachute attached to the back shell (bottom), the heat shield (right center), and the lander itself (top). Video credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona.
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Ready to Unfurl - This movie from NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander shows the spacecraft's robotic arm in its stowed configuration, with its biobarrier unpeeled. The arm is still folded up, with its "elbow" shown at upper left and its scoop at bottom right. The biobarrier is the shiny film seen to the left of the arm in this view. The barrier is an extra precaution to protect Mars from contamination with any bacteria from Earth. While the whole spacecraft was decontaminated through cleaning, filters and heat, the robotic arm was given additional protection because it is the only spacecraft part that will directly touch the ice below the surface of Mars. Before the arm was heated, it was sealed in the biobarrier, which is made of a trademarked film called Tedlar that holds up to baking like a turkey-basting bag. This ensures that any new bacterial spores that might have come about during the final steps before launch, and during the journey to Mars, will not contact the robotic arm. After Phoenix landed, springs were used to pop back the barrier, giving it room to deploy. The arm is scheduled to begin to unlatch on the second Martian day of the mission, or Sol 3 (May 28, 2008). This image was taken on Sol 1 (May 26, 2008) by the spacecraft's Surface Stereo Imager. Video credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona.
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Animation Showing Backshell and Parachute - This animation zooms in on the backshell and parachute, about 300 meters to the south of the Phoenix lander. In the distance, about 9 miles or 15 kilometers away, is a range of hills. Video credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona.
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Phoenix Work Area Animation - This animation from Sol 1 shows a mosaic of the Phoenix digging area in the Martian terrain. Phoenix scientists are very pleased with this view as the terrain features few rocks - optimal for digging. This mast of the camera looks disjointed because the photos that comprise this mosaic were taken at different times of day. This video also show some of the lander's instrumentation. Video credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona.
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Phoenix Sol 2 Northwestern Panorama - This is an animation of a camera going through the Surface Stereo Imager (SSI) on the Phoenix lander. At the end of the animation is an approximate color mosaic taken by Phoenix's SSI camera. The view is toward the northwest, showing polygonal terrain near the lander and out to the horizon. Video credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona.
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RAC Imaging Scoop - Animation of Camera pushing through RAC Camera and taking picture of Stowed RAC Mosaic on Sol+1. Video credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona.
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Phoenix Stretches its Arm - The Phoenix spacecraft is scheduled to begin raising its robotic arm up and out of its stowed configuration on the third Martian day, or Sol 3 (May 28, 2008) of the mission. This artist's animation, based on engineering models, shows how Phoenix will accomplish this task. First, its wrist actuator will rotate, releasing its launch-restraint pin. Next, the forearm moves up, releasing the elbow launch-restraint pin. The elbow will then move up and over in small steps, a process referred to as "staircasing." This ensures that the arm's protective biobarrier wrap, now unpeeled and lying to the side of the arm, will not get in the way of the arm's deployment. The arm is scheduled to straighten all the way out on Sol 4 (May 29, 2008), after engineers have reviewed images and telemetry data from the spacecraft showing that the biobarrier material has been cleared. Video credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona.
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Phoenix Work Area Animation - This animation from Sol 1 shows a mosaic of the Phoenix digging area in the Martian terrain. Phoenix scientists are very pleased with this view as the terrain features few rocks - optimal for digging. This mast of the camera looks disjointed because the photos that comprise this mosaic were taken at different times of day. This video also show some of the lander's instrumentation. Video credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona.
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Martian Arctic Landscape Panorama Video Typical view if you were standing on Mars and slowly turned around for a look. Starting at the north, SSI sees its shadow and turns its head viewing solar arrays, the lander deck and landscape. Note very few rocks on the hummocky terrain and network of troughs, typical of polar surfaces here on Earth. Video credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona.
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Objects and regions in the RA workspace named Approximate locations of regions in green. Locations of objects in yellow. Magenta denotes the boundary of the national park protected area. In background, layers not currently viewable are sizes of several rocks in the view done using the NASA Ames Viz tool. Fun fairy tale feature names, e.g. Sleepy Hollow trench with Headless and the "National Park" untouchable, pristine areas noted. First touches with the scoop will be to the left of National Park line. Video credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/NASA Ames.
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Pan of mosaic of workspace view with measurements of local rocks Approximate sizes of several rocks in the view measured using the NASA Ames Viz tool using stereoscopic images from the SSI camera whose shadow is shown in self portrait. Headless nature of the images comes from time elapsed imaging of mast taken at one time, and the SSI (head) taken later. Video credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/NASA Ames.
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Phoenix Lidar operation animation This is an animation of the Canadian-built meteorological station's lidar, which was successfully activated on Sol 2. The animation shows how the lidar is activated by first opening its dust cover, then emitting rapid pulses of light (resembling a brilliant green laser) into the Martian atmosphere. Some of the light then bounces off particles in the atmosphere, and is reflected back down to the lidar's telescope. This allows the lidar to detect dust, clouds and fog. Video Credit Koji Kuramura.
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Phoenix deploying its Robotic Arm elbow This animated gif is compiled of images from Phoenix's Stereo Surface Imager (SSI) taken on Sol 3. It shows the stair-step motion used to unstow the arm from a protective covering called the biobarrier. The last two moves allow the arm to stand straight up. Video credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona.
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Phoenix deploying its Wrist This animated gif shows a series of images taken by Phoenix's Stereo Surface Imager (SSI) on Sol 3. It illustrates the actions that Phoenix's Robotic Arm took to deploy its wrist. The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver. Video credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona.
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Animation of Phoenix's wrist unlatching This animation shows what happened underneath Phoenix's Robotic Arm wrist on Sol 3. The pin that goes through the loop is what holds the wrist in place. The rotation of the wrist pops the pin free. Video credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona.
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Phoenix Site Panorama This movie is compiled of images from Phoenix's Stereo Surface Imager (SSI) camera that were taken on sols 1 and 3. The top images, highlighted in yellow at the beginning of the movie, have been stretched eight times to show details of features in the background. Phoenix's parachute, backshell, heatshield, and impact site can also be seen. Video credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona.
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Phoenix Lidar Operation Animation This is an animation of the Canadian-built meteorological station's lidar, which was successfully activated on Sol 2. The animation shows how the lidar is activated by first opening its dust cover, then emitting rapid pulses of light (resembling a brilliant green laser) into the Martian atmosphere. Some of the light then bounces off particles in the atmosphere, and is reflected back down to the lidar's telescope. This allows the lidar to detect dust, clouds and fog. Video credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/NASA Ames.
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Animation of sol 3 Lidar use This series of images was taken by the Surface Stereo Camera on NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander during the firing of the spacecraft's lidar on Sol 3. The camera used its green filter (532 nanometers), which includes the wavelength of the lidar beam. The 9 images show the beam on and off. The low contrast of the beam confirms the effectiveness of the lidar dust cover, because the laser continues upward rather than scattering much light into the cameraI. Video credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/NASA Ames.
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Phoenix Test Sample Site This sequence of four images was acquired by NASA’s Phoenix Mars Lander’s Surface Stereo Imager on sols 5, 6, and 7--the fifth, sixth, and seventh days of the mission (May 30, 31, and June 1, 2008). The images show the so-called "Knave of Hearts" first-dig test area to the north of the lander. The trench shown is 3.3 inches (8.5 centimeters) wide. The Robotic Arm’s scraping blade left a small horizontal depression where it first touched the soil on Sol 6, seen in the second image. The third image shows a deeper hole where the Robotic Arm scooped up a a sample on Sol 7. The fourth step in the sequence adds color. Video credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/Texas A&M University.
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Scoopful of Martian Soil After Release This sequence of two images was acquired by NASA’s Phoenix Mars Lander’s Surface Stereo Imager on sols 6 and 7--the sixth and seventh days of the mission (May 31 and June 1, 2008). Both images show an area to the west of the digging site informally known as "Knave of Hearts." The second image shows the movement and shadow of the Robotic Arm. Between Phoenix's Arm and the shadow is a small handful of Martian soil that has been released from the Robotic Arm onto the surface. Video credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/Texas A&M University.
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Phoenix Telltale Movement This is an animation of a camera pushing through NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander's Stereo Surface Imager (SSI). At the conclusion of the animation is a set of SSI images of the telltale taken on the first, second, and third days of the mission, or sols 1, 2, and 3 (May 26, 27, and 28, 2008). The last set of images were taken one minute apart and shows the telltale moving in the wind. Video credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/Texas A&M University/SSV.
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How Phoenix Looks Under Itself This is an animation of NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander reaching with its Robotic Arm and taking a picture of the surface underneath the lander. The image at the conclusion of the animation was taken by Phoenix's Robotic Arm Camera (RAC) on the eighth Martian day of the mission, or Sol 8 (June 2, 2008). The light feature in the middle of the image below the leg is informally called "Holy Cow." The dust, shown in the dark foreground, has been blown off of "Holy Cow" by Phoenix's thruster engines. Video credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/Max Planck Institute/SSV.
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Flyover Video of Phoenix Work Area This video shows an overhead view of NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander and the work area of the Robotic Arm. Video credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SSV.
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How Phoenix Measures Wind Speed and Direction This animation shows how NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander can measure wind speed and direction by imaging the Telltale with the Stereo Surface Imager (SSI). Video credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/Aarhus University/Niels Bohr Institute/Texas A&M University..
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News Briefing Image This image has been posted in connection with a Phoenix Mars Lander news briefing on June 04, 2008. Video credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona..
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Telltale Animation This animation of the NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander's telltale was made from five images taken by Phoenix's Stereo Surface Imager (SSI) just after 4:37 PM local Mars time on the ninth Martian day of the mission, or Sol 9 (June 3, 2008). The images were taken with a blue filter (450 nanometer, R6) that focuses at items on the deck rather than the workspace or horizon. Video credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona./Texas A&M University.
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Telltale Animation This animation of the NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander's telltale was made from five images taken by Phoenix's Stereo Surface Imager (SSI) near 3:00 PM local Mars time on the ninth Martian day of the mission, or Sol 9 (June 3, 2008). The images were taken with a blue filter (450 nanometer, R6) that focuses at items on the deck rather than the workspace or horizon. Video credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona..
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Telltale Animation This animation of the NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander's telltale was made from five images taken by Phoenix's Stereo Surface Imager (SSI) just after 1:10 PM local Mars time on the eighth Martian day of the mission, or Sol 8 (June 2, 2008). The images were taken with a blue filter (450 nanometer, R6) that focuses at items on the deck rather than the workspace or horizon. Video credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University Arizona/Texas A&M University .
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Small Effect of Vibrating Martian Soil Sample on Oven Door In both images of this before-and-after sequence, a sample of Martian soil rests on a screen over the opening to one of the eight ovens of the Thermal and Evolved-Gas Analyzer instrument (TEGA) on NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander. Between the times at which the lander's Robotic Arm Camera took these images during the mission's 14th Martian day after landing (June 8, 2008), TEGA vibrated the screen for about seven minutes.

The TEGA oven doors are on a surface sloping at about 45 degrees, with the top of the doors near the lower edge of these images. The downhill direction on this part of the instrument appears upwards in the image. The screen-covered opening for the oven intended to analyze this soil sample is between the vertically positioned door at the right end of the series of doors and the partially opened door to the left of that one. The screen is covered with soil in this pair of images, but visible in a view from about the same angle taken before the soil was delivered, at http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA10769. For scale, the doors are about 10 centimeters (4 inches) long.

The "before" image here is the one in which the circular feature near the top of the image is more brightly lit. In the image taken after about seven minutes of shaking, the soil resting on the screen has slumped almost imperceptibly downhill. A dark gap about 3 millimeters (one-tenth of an inch) wide opened at the top edge of the screen.

The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.

Video credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/Max Planck Institute.
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Sprinkle Test by Phoenix's Robotic Arm (Movie)

NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander used its Robotic Arm during the mission's 15th Martian day since landing (June 9, 2008) to test a "sprinkle" method for delivering small samples of soil to instruments on the lander deck.

This sequence of four images from the spacecraft's Surface Stereo Imager covers a period of 20 minutes from beginning to end of the activity.

In the single delivery of a soil sample to a Phoenix instrument prior to this test, the arm brought the scooped up soil over the instrument's opened door and turned over the scoop to release the soil. The sprinkle technique, by contrast, holds the scoop at a steady angle and vibrates the scoop by running the motorized rasp located beneath the scoop. This gently jostles some material out of the scoop to the target below.

For this test, the target was near the upper end the cover of the Microscopy, Electrochemistry and Conductivity Analyzer instrument suite, or MECA. The cover is 20 centimeters (7.9 inches) across. The scoop is about 8.5 centimeters (3.3 inches) across.

Based on the test's success in delivering a small quantity and fine-size particles, the Phoenix team plans to use the sprinkle method for delivering samples to MECA and to the Thermal and Evolved-Gas Analyzer, or TEGA. The next planned delivery is to MECA's Optical Microscope, via the port in the MECA cover visible at the bottom of these images.

The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.



Video Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/Texas A&M Download

Animation of "Dodo" and "Goldilocks" Trenches

A pan and zoom animation of the informally named "Dodo" (on left) and "Goldilocks" (on right) trenches as seen by the Surface Stereo Imager (SSI) aboard NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander. This animation was based on conditions on the Martian surface on Sol 17 (June 11, 2008), the 17th Martian day of the mission. "Baby Bear" is the name of the sample taken from "Goldilocks" and delivered to the Thermal and Evolved-Gas Analyzer (TEGA) instrument.

The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.



Video Credit: Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/Texas A&M University Download

Martian Dust Storm on May 18, 2008

This false-color polar map was generated from images obtained by the Mars Reconnaissance
Orbiter's Mars Color Imager (MARCI) on May 18, 2008. It shows a large local dust storm that researchers were monitoring to see if it would affect weather conditions at NASA's Phoenix spacecraft's landing site on landing day, May 25, 2008. The landing site is labeled and marked with the yellow dot.

The dust storm, indicated with yellow arrows in the close-up view, is the sinuous, light-colored feature to the left of the white northern polar cap at the center of the map.

This dust storm was too early and too far away to affect the lander.



Video Credit: Image NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems Download

Schematic Animation of Phoenix's Microscope Station

This animation shows the workings of the microscope station of the Microscopy, Electrochemistry and Conductivity Analyzer (MECA) instrument suite of NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander.

Samples are delivered to the horizontal portion of the sample wheel (yellow) that pokes outside an opening in the box enclosure. The wheel rotates to present the sample to the microscopes. The Optical Microscope (red) can see particles a little smaller than one-tenth the diameter of a human hair. The Atomic Force Microscope (pink) can see particles forty time smaller. The samples are on a variety of substrate surfaces, the small circles on the beveled edge of the sample wheel. For scale, the diameter of the wheel is about 14 centimeters (5.5 inches). Each substrate is a circle 3 millimeters (0.1 inch) in diameter.

The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.



Video Credit: Image NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona Download

First Dodo Trench with White Layer Visible in Dig Area

This color image was taken by NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander's Stereo Surface Imager on the ninth Martian day of the mission, or Sol 9 (June 3, 2008). This image of the trench shows a white layer that has been uncovered by the Robotic Arm (RA) scoop and is now visible in the wall of the trench. This trench was the first one dug by the RA to understand the Martian soil and plan the digging strategy.


The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.



Video Credit: Image credit: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona/Texas A&M University Download

Animated View of Phoenix's Deck Animation of NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander deck with a view of the MECA (Microscopy Electrochemistry and Conductivity Analyzer) instrument in a "clean" view, prior to sample delivery.

The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.

Video Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona. Download

Animated Optical Microscope Zoom in from Phoenix Launch to Martian Surface

This animated camera view zooms in from NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander launch site all the way to Phoenix's Microscopy and Electrochemistry and Conductivity Analyzer (MECA) aboard the spacecraft on the Martian surface. The final frame shows the soil sample delivered to MECA as viewed through the Optical Microscope (OM) on Sol 17 (June 11, 2008), or the 17th Martian day.

The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.



Video Credit: Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona Download

Animation of Sprinkle Sample Delivery to the Optical Microscope This animation shows the Robotic Arm delivering a soil sample to the Optical Microscope instrument aboard the NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander for analysis. Animation based on sample delivery done on Martian Sol 18, the eighteenth day on Mars (June 13, 2008).

The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.

Video Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona. Download

Phoenix Animation Looking North

This animation is a series of images combined into a panoramic view looking north from NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander. The area depicted is beyond the immediate workspace of the lander and shows a system of polygons and troughs that connect with the ones Phoenix will be investigating in depth.

The images were taken on sol 14 (June 8, 2008) or the 14th Martian day after landing.

The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.



Video Credit: Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/Texas A&M University Download

Animation of Panorama of Phoenix Landing Area Looking Southeast

This is an animation of panoramic images taken by NASA’s Phoenix Mars Lander’s Stereo Surface Imager on Sol 15 (June 9, 2008), the 15th Martian day after landing.
The panorama looks to the southest and shows rocks casting shadows, polygons on the surface and as the image looks to the horizon, Phoenix’s backshell gleams in the distance.

The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.



Video Credit: Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/Texas A&M University Download

Animation of Panorama of Phoenix’s Solar Panel and Robotic Arm

This is an animation of panorama images of NASA’s Phoenix Mars Lander’s solar panel and the lander’s Robotic Arm with a sample in the scoop. The image was taken just before the sample was delivered to the Optical Microscope.

The images making up this animation were taken by the lander’s Surface Stereo Imager looking west during Phoenix’s Sol 16 (June 10, 2008), or the 16th Martian day after landing. This view is a part of the "mission success" panorama that will show the whole landing site in color.

The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.



Video Credit: Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/Texas A&M University Download

Blowing in the Wind Animations

These are two separate, side-by-side animations made from the same nine images the Surface Stereo Imager (SSI) on NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander took looking into the sky after 5:17 p.m. local time on Sol 8 (June 2, 2008), the eighth Martian day of the mission. The SSI was pointed almost straight up, toward the southwest. Zenith is near the top of the center frame.

In the left animation, the images were stretched to enhance contrast. The right animation highlights variations between each image and the next. The variations are likely dust blown by winds passing through the SSI's field of view. The images suggest the dust is blowing from west to east.

The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.



Video Credit: Image NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/Texas A&M University Download

Flyover Animation of Phoenix Workspace

This animated “flyover” of the workspace of NASA’s Phoenix Mars Lander’s was created from images taken by the Surface Stereo Imager on Sol 14 (June 8, 2008), or the 14th Martian day after landing.

The visualization uses both of the camera’s “eyes” to provide depth perception and ranging. The camera is looking north over the workspace.

The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.



Video Credit: Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/Texas A&M University/NASA Ames Download

Digging Movie from Phoenix's Sol 18

The Surface Stereo Imager on NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander recorded the images combined into this movie of the lander's Robotic Arm enlarging and combining the two trenches informally named "Dodo" (left) and "Goldilocks."

The 21 images in this sequence were taken over a period of about 2 hours during Phoenix's Sol 18 (June 13, 2008), or the 18th Martian day since landing.

The main purpose of the Sol 18 dig was to dig deeper for learning the depth of a hard underlying layer. A bright layer, possibly ice, was increasingly exposed as the digging progressed. Further digging and scraping in the combined Dodo-Goldilocks trench was planned for subsequent sols.

The combined trench is about 20 centimeters (about 8 inches) wide. The depth at the end of the Sol 18 digging is 5 to 6 centimeters (about 2 inches).

The Goldilocks trench was the source of soil samples "Baby Bear" and "Mama Bear," which were collected on earlier sols and delivered to instruments on the lander deck. The Dodo trench was originally dug for practice in collecting and depositing soil samples.

The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.



Video Credit: Image NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/Texas A&M University Download

Disappearing Ice

These images were acquired by NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander's Surface Stereo Imager on the 21st and 25th days of the mission, or Sols 20 and 24 (June 15 and 19, 2008).

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

In the lower left corner, lumps disappear, similar to the process of evaporation.

The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.


Video Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/Texas A&M University Download

Phoenix's Wet Chemistry Lab

This is an illustration of soil analysis on NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander's Wet Chemistry Lab (WCL) on board the Microscopy, Electrochemistry, and Conductivity Analyzer (MECA) instrument. By dissolving small amounts of soil in water, WCL will attempt to determine the pH, the abundance of minerals such as magnesium and sodium cations or chloride, bromide and sulfate anions, as well as the conductivity and redox potential.

The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.



Video Credit: Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona Download

Pan and Zoom of 'Rosy Red' Soil in Scoop

This pan and zoom animation shows a microscopic view of fine-grained material at the tip of the Robotic Arm scoop as seen by the Robotic Arm Camera (RAC) aboard NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander on June 20, 2008, the 26th Martian day, or sol, of the mission.

RAC scientists took this image at a resolution of 30 microns by rotating the scoop to within 11 millimeters of the camera's front lens and refocusing the camera to macro focus. The image shows small clumps of fine, fluffy, red soil particles collected in a sample called 'Rosy Red.' The sample was dug from the trench named 'Snow White' in the area called 'Wonderland.' Some of the Rosy Red sample was delivered to Phoenix's Optical Microscope and Wet Chemistry Laboratory for analysis.

The RAC provides its own illumination, so the color seen in RAC images is color as seen on Earth, not color as it would appear on Mars.

The image behind the RAC animation, taken by Phoenix's Surface Stereo Imager also on Sol 26, provides context.



Video Credit: RAC Image NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/Max Planck Institute Surface Stereo Imager Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/Texas A&M University Download

Phoenix Conductivity Probe Inserted in Martian Soil

This series of six images from the Robotic Arm Camera on NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander records the first time that the four spikes of the lander's thermal and electrical conductivity probe were inserted into Martian soil.

The images were taken on July 8, 2008, during the Phoenix mission's 43rd Martian day, or sol, since landing. The insertion visible from the shadows cast on the ground on that sol was a validation test of the procedure. The spikes on the probe are about 1.5 centimeters or half an inch long.

The science team will use the probe tool to assess how easily heat and electricity move through the soil from one spike to another. Such measurements can provide information about frozen or unfrozen water in the soil. The probe is mounted on the "knuckle" of Phoenix's Robotic Arm. It has already been used for assessing water vapor in the atmosphere when it is held above the ground.



Video Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/Max Planck Institute Download

Before Before & After Scraping on Sol 56 This animation combines two images of the trench informally named "Snow White" taken by the Surface Stereo Imager on NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander on July 21, 2008, during the lander's 56th Martian day, or sol, since landing.

The earlier Sol 56 image is the one without a shadow falling across the lower right corner of the image. It was taken after Phoenix had used its motorized rasp to get some material from the trench into the scoop on the lander's robotic arm. The later Sol 56 image was taken after the arm had scraped clean an area that includes the rasping site.

The trench is about 23 centimeters (9 inches) wide. These images were taken through the camera's red filter.

Video Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/Texas A&M University Download

'Snow Queen' Animation

This animation consists of two close-up images of "Snow Queen," taken several days apart, by the Robotic Arm Camera (RAC) aboard NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander.

Snow Queen is the informal name for a patch of bright-toned material underneath the lander.

Thruster exhaust blew away surface soil covering Snow Queen when Phoenix landed on May 25, 2008, exposing this hard layer comprising several smooth rounded cavities beneath the lander. The RAC images show how Snow Queen visibly changed between June 15, 2008, the 21st Martian day, or sol, of the mission and July 9, 2008, the 44th sol.

Cracks as long as 10 centimeters (about four inches) appeared. One such crack is visible at the left third and the upper third of the Sol 44 image. A seven millimeter (one-third inch) pebble or clod appears just above and slightly to the right of the crack in the Sol 44 image. Cracks also appear in the lower part of the left third of the image. Other pieces noticeably shift, and some smooth texture has subtly roughened.

The Phoenix team carefully positioned and focused RAC the same way in both images. Each image is about 60 centimeters, or about two feet, wide. The object protruding in from the top on the right half of the images is Phoenix's thermal and electrical conductivity probe.

Snow Queen and other ice exposed by Phoenix landing and trenching operations on northern polar Mars is the first time scientists have been able to monitor Martian ice at a place where temperatures are cold enough that the ice doesn't immediately sublimate, or vaporize, away.

The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.



Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/Max Planck Institute Download

How Phoenix Creates Color Images

This simple animation shows how a color image is made from images taken by Phoenix.

The Surface Stereo Imager captures the same scene with three different filters. The images are sent to Earth in black and white and the color is added by mission scientists.

By contrast, consumer digital cameras and cell phones have filters built in and do all of the color processing within the camera itself.

The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.



Video Credit: Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona Download

Zenith Movie showing Phoenix's Lidar Beam

A laser beam from the Canadian-built lidar instrument on NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander can be seen in this contrast-enhanced sequence of 10 images taken by Phoenix's Surface Stereo Imager on July 26, 2008, during early Martian morning hours of the mission's 61st Martian day after landing.

The view is almost straight up and includes about 1.5 kilometer (about 1 mile) of the length of the beam. The camera, from its position close to the lidar on the lander deck, took the images through a green filter centered on light with wavelength 532 nanometers, the same wavelength of the laser beam. The movie has been artificially colored to to approximately match the color that would be seen looking through this filter on Mars. Contrast is enhanced to make the beam more visible.

The lidar beam can be seen extending from the lower right to the upper right, near the zenith, as it reflects off particles suspended in the atmosphere. Particles that scatter the beam directly into the camera can be seen to produce brief sparkles of light. In the background, dust can be seen drifting across the sky pushed by winds aloft.

The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.



Video Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/Texas A&M University/CSA Download

Full-Circle Color Panorama of Phoenix Landing Site on Northern Mars, Movie

This view combines more than 400 images taken during the first several weeks after NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander arrived on an arctic plain at 62.22 degrees north latitude, 234.25 degrees east longitude on Mars.

The movie makes a slow tour around highlights of the image.

The full-circle panorama in approximately true color shows the polygonal patterning of ground at the landing area, similar to patterns in permafrost areas on Earth. The center of the image is the westward part of the scene. Trenches where Phoenix's robotic arm has been exposing subsurface material are visible in the right half of the image. The spacecraft's meteorology mast, topped by the telltale wind gauge, extends into the sky portion of the panorama.

This view comprises more than 100 different camera pointings, with images taken through three different filters at each pointing. It is presented here as a cylindrical projection.

The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.



Video Credit: Image NASA/JPL-Caltech/University Arizona/Texas A&M University Download

Testing of Icy-Soil Sample Delivery in Simulated Martian Conditions

This movie clip shows testing under simulated Mars conditions on Earth in preparation for NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander using its robotic arm for delivering a sample to the doors of a laboratory oven.

The icy soil used in the testing flowed easily from the scoop during all tests at Martian temperatures. On Mars, icy soil has stuck to the scoop, a surprise that may be related to composition of the soil at the landing site.

This testing was done at Honeybee Robotics Spacecraft Mechanisms Corp., New York, which supplied the Phoenix scoop.



Video Credit: Image NASA/JPL/Honeybee Robotics Download

Full-Circle Color Panorama of Phoenix Landing Site on Northern Mars, Animation

This view combines more than 400 images taken during the first several weeks after NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander arrived on an arctic plain at 62.22 degrees north latitude, 234.25 degrees east longitude on Mars.

This movie makes a slow tour around highlights of the image.

The full-circle panorama in approximately true color shows the polygonal patterning of ground at the landing area, similar to patterns in permafrost areas on Earth. The center of the image is the westward part of the scene. Trenches where Phoenix's robotic arm has been exposing subsurface material are visible in the right half of the image. The spacecraft's meteorology mast, topped by the telltale wind gauge, extends into the sky portion of the panorama.

This view comprises more than 100 different camera pointings, with images taken through three different filters at each pointing. It is presented here as a cylindrical projection.

The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.



Video Credit: Image NASA/JPL-Caltech/University Arizona/Texas A&M University Download

Snow White Trench Animation

This animation shows the evolution of the trench called "Snow White" that NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander began digging on the 22nd Martian day of the mission after the May 25, 2008, landing.

The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.




Video Credit: Image NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/Texas A Download

Animation of TEGA Sample Delivery and Analysis

This animation shows NASA's Phoenix Lander's Robotic Arm scoop delivering a sample to the Thermal and Evolved-Gas Analyzer (TEGA) and how samples are analyzed within the instrument.

TEGA has eight tiny ovens for measuring constituents in the atmosphere and in the soil, including possible organic constituents and the melting point of ice.

The scoop drops soil onto a fine mesh screen between TEGA's open doors. Some soil passes through the screen, which vibrates, into the throat of a funnel, where a spinning device called the 'whirligig' aids delivery into one half of a tiny oven. The soil sample is represented here by the white chip. The filled oven half then rotates and mates with the other oven half, closing the complete oven so sample heating can begin. The purple coil in this animation is the spring that moves the oven halves together.

Heating occurs at successively higher temperatures over several days. The energy required to heat the sample is measured to discover its thermal properties. Gases driven off during sample heating pass through tubing to the mass spectrometer for analysis.

Note that the exterior doors above the screen never close after sample delivery.

The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.



Video Credit: Animation Solar System Visualization Project, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Download

Movie of Phoenix Mars Lander's Telltale from the First Half of the Primary Mission

The Meteorological Station on NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander includes a telltale to gauge wind direction and speed. This animation portrays changes in wind during the course of a Martian day, based on a selection of 271 images from the 1,225 total telltale images captured by the lander's Surface Stereo Imager through the mission's first 45 Martian days, or sols, (May 26 to July 10, 2008). The images were selected to best represent the time period from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. local true solar time at the Phoenix landing site, in two-minute intervals.

The camera took the images through a blue filter designed to look at objects on the deck. The images have been stretched to improve contrast and ratioed to constant optical depth and lighting conditions on the telltale mirror. In this animation, the individual images have been shown superimposed upon a full image of the telltale from Sol 13 for context.

The telltale is about 10 centimeters (4 inches) tall.

As the day progresses, the position of the bob can be seen to change position as the winds at the Phoenix Landing site change direction. The change in lighting conditions can also be observed as a darkening of the telltale mirror and cross. Variability in the wind speed at certain times of day shows up as rapid motions of the telltale bob. This animation is only possible as a result of the consistency of the observed surface winds at the Phoenix Landing site which vary more significantly over the course of a day than they do from one day to the next.

The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.



Video Credit: Image NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/Texas A&M University/CSA Download

Wind-Related Topography in Phoenix's Region of Mars

This movie shifts from a global zoom indicating the Phoenix landing area on Mars to a topographical map indicating relative elevations in the landing region. The elevations could affect wind patterns at the site.

In particular, Phoenix is in a broad, shallow valley. The edge of the valley, about 150 meters (500 feet) above the floor, may provide enough of a slope to the east of Phoenix to explain winds coming from the east during nights at the site. Cooler, denser air could be sinking down the slope and toward the lander.

Atmospheric scientists on the Phoenix team are analyzing wind patterns to distiguish effects of nearby topography from larger-scale movement of the atmosphere in the polar region.

The elevation information for this topographical mapping comes from the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter on NASA's Mars Global Surveyor orbiter. The blue-coded area is the valley floor. Orange and yellow indicate relatively higher elevations.

The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver. JPL managed the Mars Global Surveyor mission for the NASA Science Mission Directorate.



Video Credit: Image NASA/JPL-Caltech Download

Animation of TEGA Sample Delivery and Analysis

This animation shows NASA's Phoenix Lander's Robotic Arm scoop delivering a sample to the Thermal and Evolved-Gas Analyzer (TEGA) and how samples are analyzed within the instrument.

TEGA has eight tiny ovens for measuring constituents in the atmosphere and in the soil, including possible organic constituents and the melting point of ice.

The scoop drops soil onto a fine mesh screen between TEGA's open doors. Some soil passes through the screen, which vibrates, into the throat of a funnel, where a spinning device called the 'whirligig' aids delivery into one half of a tiny oven. The soil sample is represented here by the white chip. The filled oven half then rotates and mates with the other oven half, closing the complete oven so sample heating can begin. The purple coil in this animation is the spring that moves the oven halves together.

Heating occurs at successively higher temperatures over several days. The energy required to heat the sample is measured to discover its thermal properties. Gases driven off during sample heating pass through tubing to the mass spectrometer for analysis.

Note that the exterior doors above the screen never close after sample delivery.



Video Credit: Animation Solar System Visualization Project, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Download

Animation of Wet Chemistry Laboratory

This animation shows a sample delivery to the Wet Chemistry Laboratory, an instrument that is part of NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander's Microscopy, Electrochemistry, and Conductivity Analyzer (MECA). Operation of the Wet Chemistry Laboratory begins with thawing of a container of a calibration and soaking solution (mostly water) which is then dispensed into a beaker lined with sensors. Soil is then added and the solution is stirred for several hours while the sensors are monitored. Small crucibles of chemicals are added to test specific properties of the solution.



Video Credit: Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/SSV Download

Animation of Wet Chemistry Laboratory

This animation shows the Wet Chemistry Laboratory, an instrument that is part of NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander's Microscopy, Electrochemistry, and Conductivity Analyzer (MECA). Operation of the Wet Chemistry Laboratory begins with thawing of a container of a calibration and soaking solution (mostly water) which is then dispensed into a beaker lined with sensors. Soil is then added and the solution is stirred for several hours while the sensors are monitored. Small crucibles of chemicals are added to test specific properties of the solution.



Video Credit: Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/SSV Download

Atomic Force Microscope Operation

This animation is a scientific illustration of the operation of NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander's Atomic Force Microscope, or AFM. The AFM is part of Phoenix's Microscopy, Electrochemistry, and Conductivity Analyzer, or MECA.

The AFM is used to image the smallest Martian particles using a very sharp tip at the end of one of eight beams.

The beam of the AFM is set into vibration and brought up to the surface of a micromachined silicon substrate. The substrate has etched in it a series of pits, 5 micrometers deep, designed to hold the Martian dust particles.

The microscope then maps the shape of particles in three dimensions by scanning them with the tip.

At the end of the animation is a 3D representation of the AFM image of a particle that was part of a sample informally called "Sorceress." The sample was delivered to the AFM on the 38th Martian day, or sol, of the mission (July 2, 2008).

The image shows four round pits, only 5 microns in depth, that were micromachined into the silicon substrate.

A Martian particle -- only one micrometer, or one millionth of a meter, across -- is held in the upper left pit.

The rounded particle -- shown at the highest magnification ever seen from another world -- is a particle of the dust that cloaks Mars. Such dust particles color the Martian sky pink, feed storms that regularly envelop the planet and produce Mars' distinctive red soil.

The AFM was developed by a Swiss-led consortium, with Imperial College London producing the silicon substrate that holds sampled particles.

The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.



Video Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/University of Neuchatel/Imperial College London Download

Frost Accumulation on Telltale Mirror

Bright specks of frost accumulate on the mirror of the telltale on NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander in this series of images taken between 12:54 a.m. and 2:34 a.m. at the landing site during the 80th Martian day, or sol, of the mission (on Aug. 15, 2008).

Phoenix's Surface Stereo Imager took these images through a blue filter (450 nanometer wavelength) that is used primarily for viewing items on the spacecraft rather than the workspace or horizon. In order to increase the number of frames, the size of the individual images downlinked from the spacecraft has been reduced. These have been shown superimposed upon a full image of the telltale from Sol 13 for context. The frost on the mirror sparkles in low-angle light from the sun, which is barely above the horizon at this hour.

This type of early morning frost is not a concern for the operation of the spacecraft.

During the early-morning period when these images were taken the wind was blowing steadily at about 5 meters per second (about 11 miles per hour) from the northeast, as indicated by the telltale.

The telltale is about 10 centimeters (4 inches) tall. The experiment was built by the University of Aarhus, Denmark.

The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.



Video Credit: Image NASA/JPL-Caltech/University Arizona/Texas A&M University/University of Aarhus/University of Copenhagen Download

Ice Clouds in Martian Arctic (Accelerated Movie)

Clouds scoot across the Martian sky in a movie clip consisting of 10 frames taken by the Surface Stereo Imager on NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander.

This clip accelerates the motion. The camera took these 10 frames over a 10-minute period from 2:52 p.m. to 3:02 p.m. local solar time at the Phoenix site during Sol 94 (Aug. 29), the 94th Martian day since landing.

Particles of water-ice make up these clouds, like ice-crystal cirrus clouds on Earth. Ice hazes have been common at the Phoenix site in recent days.

The camera took these images as part of a campaign by the Phoenix team to see clouds and track winds. The view is toward slightly west of due south, so the clouds are moving westward or west-northwestward.

The clouds are a dramatic visualization of the Martian water cycle. The water vapor comes off the north pole during the peak of summer. The northern-Mars summer has just passed its peak water-vapor abundance at the Phoenix site. The atmospheric water is available to form into clouds, fog and frost, such as the lander has been observing recently.

The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.

Image NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/Texas A&M University

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Martian Dust Devil Movie, Phoenix Sol 104

The Surface Stereo Imager on NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander caught this dust devil in action west of the lander in four frames shot about 50 seconds apart from each other between 11:53 a.m. and 11:56 a.m. local Mars time on Sol 104, or the 104th Martian day of the mission, Sept. 9, 2008.

Dust devils have not been detected in any Phoenix images from earlier in the mission, but at least six were observed in a dozen images taken on Sol 104.

Dust devils are whirlwinds that often occur when the Sun heats the surface of Mars, or some areas on Earth. The warmed surface heats the layer of atmosphere closest to it, and the warm air rises in a whirling motion, stirring dust up from the surface like a miniature tornado.

The dust devil visible in this sequence was about 1,000 meters (about 3,300 feet) from the lander when the first frame was taken, and had moved to about 1,700 meters (about 5,600 feet) away by the time the last frame was taken about two and a half minutes later. The dust devil was moving westward at an estimated speed of 5 meters per second (11 miles per hour), which is similar to typical late-morning wind speed and direction indicated by the telltale wind gauge on Phoenix.

This dust devil is about 5 meters (16 feet) in diameter. This is much smaller than dust devils that have been observed by NASA's Mars Exploration Rover Spirit much closer to the equator. It is closer in size to dust devils seen from orbit in the Phoenix landing region, though still smaller than those..

The image has been enhanced to make the dust devil easier to see. Some of the frame-to-frame differences in the appearance of foreground rocks is because each frame was taken through a different color filter.

The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.



Video Credit: Image NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/Texas A&M University Download

Phoenix Telltale Movie with Clouds, Sol 103

NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander's telltale catches a breeze as clouds move over the landing site on Sol 103 (Sept. 7, 2008), the 103rd Martian day since landing.

Phoenix's Surface Stereo Imager took this series of images during daily telltale monitoring around 3 p.m. local solar time and captured the clouds moving over the landing site.

Phoenix can measure wind speed and direction by imaging the telltale, which is about about 10 centimeters (4 inches) tall. The telltale was built by the University of Aarhus, Denmark.

The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.



Video Credit: Image NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/Texas A&M University Download

Nighttime Clouds in Martian Arctic (Accelerated Movie)

An angry looking sky is captured in a movie clip consisting of 10 frames taken by the Surface Stereo Imager on NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander.

The clip accelerates the motion. The images were take around 3 a.m. local solar time at the Phoenix site during Sol 95 (Aug. 30), the 95th Martian day since landing.

The swirling clouds may be moving generally in a westward direction over the lander.

The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.



Video Credit: Image NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/Texas A&M University Download

Clouds Move Across Mars Horizon

This sequence combines 32 images of clouds moving eastward across a Martian horizon. The Surface Stereo Imager on NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander took this set of images on Sept. 18, 2008, during early afternoon hours of the 113th Martian day of the mission.

The view is toward the north. The actual elapsed time between the first image and the last image is nearly half an hour. The numbers inset at lower left are the elapsed time, in seconds, after the first image of the sequence. The particles in the clouds are water-ice, as in cirrus clouds on Earth.

Phoenix landed in the northern region of Mars on May 25, 2008. The mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is led by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.



Video Credit: Image NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/ Texas A&M University. Download

Full-Circle Color Panorama of Phoenix Lander Deck and Landing Site on Northern Mars, Animation

This view combines more than 500 images taken after NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander arrived on an arctic plain at 68.22 degrees north latitude, 234.25 degrees east longitude on Mars.

This movie makes a slow tour around highlights of the image including the landscape and the spacecraft's science deck.

The full-circle panorama in approximately true color shows the polygonal patterning of ground at the landing area, similar to patterns in permafrost areas on Earth. The center of the image is the westward part of the scene. Trenches where Phoenix's robotic arm has been exposing subsurface material are visible in the right half of the image. The spacecraft's meteorology mast, topped by the telltale wind gauge, extends into the sky portion of the panorama.

This view comprises more than 100 different Stereo Surface Imager camera pointings, with images taken through three different filters at each pointing. It is presented here as a cylindrical projection.

The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.



Video Credit: Animation NASA/JPL-Caltech/University Arizona/Texas A&M University Download

Martian Clouds Above Phoenix

The Surface Stereo Imager onboard NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander observed clouds drifting across the horizon in the early morning on the 119th sol, or Martian day, since landing (September 25, 2008). Clouds were observed each night after Sol 80 (August 15, 2008) as the atmospheric temperature decreased.



Video Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University Arizona/Texas A&M University Download

Animation of MARDI Instrument

This animation shows a zoom into the Mars Descent Imager (MARDI) instrument onboard NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander. The Phoenix team will soon attempt to use a microphone on the MARDI instrument to capture sounds of Mars.

The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.



Video Credit: Animation Solar System Visualization Project, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Download

Phoenix's Laser Beam in Action on Mars

The Surface Stereo Imager camera aboard NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander acquired a series of images of the laser beam in the Martian night sky. Bright spots in the beam are reflections from ice crystals in the low level ice-fog. The brighter area at the top of the beam is due to enhanced scattering of the laser light in a cloud. The Canadian-built lidar instrument emits pulses of laser light and records what is scattered back.



Video Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University Arizona/Texas A&M University Download

Martian Sunrise at Phoenix Landing Site, Sol 101

This sequence of nine images taken by the Surface Stereo Imager on NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander shows the sun rising on the morning of the lander's 101st Martian day after landing.

The images were taken on Sept. 5, 2008. The local solar times at the landing site for the nine images were between 1:23 a.m. and 1:41 a.m.

The landing site is on far-northern Mars, and the mission started in late northern spring. For nearly the entire first 90 Martian days of the mission, the sun never set below the horizon. As the amount of sunshine each day declined steadily after that, so has the amount of electricity available for the solar-powered spacecraft.

The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by JPL, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development was by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.



Video Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/Texas A&M University Download

Animation of TEGA Sample Delivery and Analysis

This animation shows NASA's Phoenix Lander's Robotic Arm scoop delivering a sample to the Thermal and Evolved-Gas Analyzer (TEGA) and how samples are analyzed within the instrument.

TEGA has eight tiny ovens for measuring constituents in the atmosphere and in the soil, including possible organic constituents and the melting point of ice.

The scoop drops soil onto a fine mesh screen between TEGA's open doors. Some soil passes through the screen, which vibrates, into the throat of a funnel, where a spinning device called the 'whirligig' aids delivery into one half of a tiny oven. The soil sample is represented here by the white chip. The filled oven half then rotates and mates with the other oven half, closing the complete oven so sample heating can begin. The purple coil in this animation is the spring that moves the oven halves together.

Heating occurs at successively higher temperatures over several days. The energy required to heat the sample is measured to discover its thermal properties. Gases driven off during sample heating pass through tubing to the mass spectrometer for analysis.

Note that the exterior doors above the screen never close after sample delivery.

The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.



Video Credit: Animation Solar System Visualization Project, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory Download

Dust Storm Moving Near Phoenix Lander

This series of images show the movement of several dust storms near NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander. These images were taken by the lander's Surface Stereo Imager (SSI) on the 137th Martian day, or sol, of the mission (Oct. 13, 2008).

These images were taken about 50 seconds apart, showing the formation and movement of dust storms for nearly an hour. Phoenix scientists are still figuring out the exact distances these dust storms occurred from the lander, but they estimate them to be about 1 to 2 kilometers (.6 or 1.2 miles) away.

The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.



Video Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/Texas A&M University Download

Telltale Instrument Waving in the Martian Wind

This series of images show Phoenix's telltale instrument waving in the Martian wind. Documenting the telltale's movement helps mission scientists and engineers determine what the wind is like on Mars.

On the day these images were taken, one of the images seemed to be "out-of-phase" with other images, possibly indicating a dust devil occurrence. Preliminary analysis of the images taken right before and after the passing of this possible dust devil indicates winds from the west at 7 meters per second. The image taken during the possible dust devil shows 11 meters per second wind from the south.

These images were taken by the lander's Surface Stereo Imager (SSI) on the 136th Martian day, or sol, of the mission (Oct. 12, 2008). Phoenix's telltale is part of the Canadian Space Agency's meteorological package on the lander. The telltale on the meteorological station's mast was contributed by the University of Aarhus, with support from the University of Alberta.

The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.



Video Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/Texas A&M University Download