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Hmmm, metres is used over here in England and I understand that meters is used in the US... So which one do we use?? I know I would preference metres (being English of course!)!!! And I do realise it's a fairly pedantic point!!! Tachyon502 (talk) 13:06, 27 August 2008 (UTC)
people need to be more vigilant on fixing the page and keeping it consistent. Even though frequent changes are to be expected due to the success of the mission, I have caught several "bad" additions and people changing the entire layout of the page. People were adding stuff about it finding liquid water which is not true and people were removing whole sections and formatting the pictures to one side of the page. please do not remove anything else unless it is redundant or untrue. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Major n0ob (talk • contribs) 02:19, 31 May 2008 (UTC)
Near the start of the article it is stated that Phoenix is the third succesful static lander. I think this fails to include the Mars Pathfinder lander.86.150.36.31 (talk) 00:23, 5 June 2008 (UTC)
well everybody, the page is looking a little better, I would emphasize that there is still work needed on the images, for example we still need images for one or two more of the instruments which can be found on the phoenix website. formatting is still the more critical aspect needing work on, down towards the instrument's section it does tend to get messy, use the MER rover pages as a guide.Major n0ob (talk) 19:44, 25 August 2008 (UTC)
Because the Phoenix DVD is a DVD what DVD Region is it coded for, also does it contain the CSS ecryption. Also are the video/audio codec's included.... (edited for typo) Guest(Mr_Pat) 11:07, 22DEC07 MST
To avoid Earth-centric.
Things like spacecraft landing on Mars happen on Mars, which have nothing to do with the planet Earth.
Python eggs (talk) 22:25, 25 May 2008 (UTC)
I think that UTC should take prime place in the article, with other times, like EDT in brackets. Blaise (talk) 10:18, 26 May 2008 (UTC)
When I read the article from top to bottom I get the feeling of deja vu due to what look like duplicate images. They are not exact duplicates, but these appear superfluous (in my opinion):
Eventually the images will need reorganising anyway, but I wonder if we should start now? -84user (talk) 00:35, 29 May 2008 (UTC)
(unindent) I agree Wnt, that revision was quite clean in my opinion. This current revision looks a mess, frankly. The nasty response appears to be from an inexperienced editor. I thought it was in the midst of being reorganised but no one has changed it in the last 15 hours. I also will not revert, but I have added a cleanup tag. -84user (talk) 03:13, 2 June 2008 (UTC)
Is there any hope to reactivate the MARDI microphone now, so that the sounds of Martian windstorms could be heard? (or isn't it that sensitive?) Wnt (talk) 22:46, 29 May 2008 (UTC)
I was going to ask the same question :) seems logical to me. not only that but why not reactivate the camera too. If the only possible problem was a possible landing issue.. then that would not be an issue now.. and if the camera was going to film the descent I assume its on the bottom of the lander...or right next to the big ice like substance under the lander. seems to me that would be a good position for it to take a nice picture. my guess is if they can activate the microphone.. they will wait till they stuff all the ovens and just before the 90 days is up.. just in case it screws something up. -24.60.27.93 (talk) 08:24, 5 June 2008 (UTC)
UPDATE Aug 21 2012: A Mars Science Laboratory team member revealed at a verified interview on Reddit that after the successful completion of the mission (Phoenix's), an attempt was made to use the microphone. They sent the signal to power it on but only empty files came back, so it was assumed the microphone was frozen solid. They left it on to warm it up but the last bit of power on the rover went out (as expected) before another attempt could be made.
I think this is important information that should be on the article, considering the substantial amount of interest on the only microphone successfully landed on Mars to date. But I'm not an experienced Wikipedia editor and I'm not sure how to properly add it. Are there any experienced editors that could step in? Thank you. -189.32.169.43 (talk) 18:34, 21 August 2012 (UTC)
Hi all,
today it has been discussed at
that Phoenix might have brought his own bacteria to Mars. So positive test results with respect to say biogenic carbon compounds or even primitive organisms or remnants therefrom may not be a proof of martian live.
Another thing puzzles me: Typical fluid rocket engines use fuels like liquid hydrogen, methylhydrazine, dimethylhydrazine, hydrocarbons and the like. Upon oxidation with an oxygen based oxidiser like l-O2 or N2O4 this will give rise to H2O formation as well as nitrogen, nitrogen oxides, CO, CO2 and due to cold martian soil which would quench the combustion flame higher carbon compounds. So what did Phoenix use as propellant in order to avoid such contamination? Does anyone know what the descent motor uses?
dichrra 20:24, 11 June 2008 (CEST)
Thanks for the info. Do you have any open reference to this? dichrra 07:41, 12 June 2008 (CEST)
P is said to have landed in the martian northern hemisphere. How can we tell which way is North? Mars has no magnetic field. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 79.73.193.136 (talk) 07:41, 1 June 2008 (UTC)
I added these turning moments in the Lander's voyage: The Lander's Robotic Arm touched soil on the red planet for the first time on May 31, 2008. It accurately scooped dirt, sampling the Martian soil for ice, and the Phoenix's Robotic Arm Camera shot images of what appears to be exposed ice and footprint-shaped impression, captured by Phoenix's Stereo Surface Imager. Ray Arvidson of Washington University in St. Louis said:"We could very well be seeing rock, or we could be seeing exposed ice in the retrorocket blast zone."www.reuters.com, Phoenix lander samples a little Martian dirtThe robotic arm will start digging after more days of testing.thetechherald.com, Surface ice found as Phoenix prepares to dig</ref> The Robotic Arm Camera also shot the unusual light-colored patch or substance just under or in front of Phoenix's landing pad.allamericanpatriots.com, NASA Astronomy Picture of the Day: Unusual Light Patch Under Phoenix Lander on Mars--Florentino floro (talk) 09:04, 2 June 2008 (UTC)
A day ago I added a cleanup tag with "see Talk:Phoenix (spacecraft)#Images" (above). The tag has been removed with a request to specify what is wrong. Using a 1200 pixel wide display I looked at featured article Hubble Space Telescope (although not perfect) to identify the problems:
The other sections appear Ok, even the gallery at the end. I hope this is specific enough. I have reinstated the cleanup tag in the article. -84user (talk) 15:54, 3 June 2008 (UTC) (removed few days ago, was only yesterday! 84user (talk) 15:57, 3 June 2008 (UTC))
Some recent edits to this article contain interesting information, but I believe they need to be edited to remove overt advertising. See this diff. I think providing commercial links to two products for sale is going over the line, especially with phrases like "help farmers and scientists conserve our water resources". The use of an account that is named after the company being written about, to make edits only in this one article, and only to write about itself, also smells too much like POV, and original research. However, there is relevant information here and citing back to the company's commercial web site seems reasonable if the prose is made encyclopedic. I intend to clean out the commercial tinge of this, but I wanted to document my intent here first. CosineKitty (talk) 01:55, 5 June 2008 (UTC)
TECP is part of MECA and should be in the same section. The Mars Descent Imager as it is not used should be last in the list!--Stone (talk) 08:33, 5 June 2008 (UTC)
On Wednesday, June 11, at 10:00 p.m. EST, Discovery Channel will air a one-hour special behind the scenes of the Phoenix mission, including new footage from landing day. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Borges911 (talk • contribs) 15:14, 11 June 2008 (UTC)
I think the image in the table should be changed to one that has Phoenix dipicted in a fully deployed state, meaning with the solar panals etc.--Theoneintraining (talk) 19:19, 18 June 2008 (UTC)
The temperature at the Phoenix landing site varies between 185 K and 241 K and the pressure is at 8.29 bar.
Triple points
H2O: 273.16 K, 0.006 bar
CO2: 216.55 K, 5.17 bar
Based on the pressure-temperature phase diagrams it is more likely that the white material in the trenches is CO2 which passed through the solid, liquid and vapor phases. The presence of damp soil may indicate CO2. --Jbergquist (talk) 10:40, 20 June 2008 (UTC)
Please explain to this simple layman why discovering ice is significant when we've known for years that there is water ice at the pole? 58.7.90.176 (talk) 03:20, 24 June 2008 (UTC)
The caption on the image from MRO of Phoenix's descent incorrectly/misleadingly labels it as a "close up". A 'close up' isn't the same thing as 'high resolution' or 'high magnification', both of which are also subjective - so I don't suggest replacing 'close up' with one of those, either! The situation at hand is the same situation as when someone incorrectly refers to a telescopic image of the Moon from Earth as a close up (when in fact any photograph telescopic or not taken of the Moon from the Earth actually produces an image of the Moon at the same distance, due to its fixed location relative to us). In this instance, they mean a magnified image. An example of 'close up' photography would be macro photography (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macro_photography ) since MRO was not close to Phoenix at the time, no matter how detailed, large or high resolution the image it is not a 'close up'. I think the words 'close up' should be stricken from the description/caption. 131.227.74.135 (talk) 15:21, 24 June 2008 (UTC)
Kudos to whoever thought of stretching the horizon image. That's a great idea. --Doradus (talk) 17:39, 24 June 2008 (UTC)
As there is already Ice on the polar ice caps, could someone explain to me why this is such a significant find? SGGH speak! 19:34, 24 June 2008 (UTC)
I don't mean evidences. We had evidences of water from the gully a couple of years ago. Then now that evidence means nothing at all, it was rejected. So... before NASA go and search for ancient life possibility and we all claim anything about a wet Mars, could we PRECISELY state if any experiment proved "yes this is water" or have we only evidences? Can we, once for all, avoid messing up evidences and proofs? For what I know, TEGA will only work once again (possible short circuits) so we are already sure that we won't even have a double check. Just as with Vikings. Can this voice be more scientific and, most of all, historically based (not dream-based), please? Thank you. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 83.103.38.68 (talk) 15:02, 22 July 2008 (UTC)
And we have water! Who's willing to update the page? We have water!!!!!213.140.11.141 (talk) 21:43, 1 August 2008 (UTC)
Can I add a quote: "The fact that it melted at zero degrees Celsius leaves very little doubt that it is standard water ice," Boynton said. He said sensors also tested the chemical makeup of the vapor and found the familiar combination of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. So, how comes that a scientist still gives (little) space to doubts, but here we're talking of alien water as an obvious thing? This is a great confusion between evidences and proofs. Can I write an article on that? Under which name? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 213.140.11.141 (talk) 22:01, 1 August 2008 (UTC)
A story in Aviation Week has reported on the potential for life on Mars. No clue what that means, but I find it interesting that the White House was briefed. I can't find where Aviation Week got their information, but is such a thing normal? Louis Waweru Talk 10:21, 3 August 2008 (UTC)
As from your references about the findings of the water ice in the soil (ref #39), please note that you offer an article that states "It is the first time any spacecraft has discovered water on another planet.". But, still and again, it seems that it isn't worth of creating a new paragraph? That's REALLY funny...83.103.38.68 (talk) 14:05, 4 August 2008 (UTC)
Keep an eye on that development....It may be contamination from rocket fuel. If it is naturally occuring in Mars, they will have to back-pedal their asparragus-growing statement. It’s also interesting how the two rovers elsewhere on Mars haven’t also reported measuring perchlorate in their tests using the Moss-Bauer spectrometer instruments they have. BatteryIncluded (talk) 23:58, 5 August 2008 (UTC)
Thanks CompuHacker (talk) 06:55, 6 September 2008 (UTC)
It is suggested that Snow on mars be merged here. Your comments are welcome. Truthanado (talk) 02:12, 11 October 2008 (UTC)
'Snow on Mars' belongs to Climate of Mars. -BatteryIncluded (talk) 12:04, 11 October 2008 (UTC)
NASA archives have nothing on "Lazarus mode". It is an expression just invented by the media, and we should write its correct name: "safe mode" or "Spacecraft Safing". -BatteryIncluded (talk) 05:38, 3 November 2008 (UTC)
Again, please note that the reference quoted makes no mention to a "Lazarus Mode". The NASA archives and databases have nothing on it, but has this on Spacecraft Safing or Spacecraft Safe Mode:[4], [5]
All planetary spacecraft are loaded with "fault protection" software designed to safeguard the craft in the event of various kinds of unusual events. When certain events take place, this software puts the spacecraft into a so-called "safe" mode that protects it and places it in standby, awaiting intervention by ground controllers. Fault protection software is usually disabled during critical flight events such as landings, orbit insertions and some flybys in order to prevent a minor glitch from interfering the event."
"Safe mode is a standby state used to keep the spacecraft dormant."[6]
In the very famous cases of the Spirit and Oportunity Rovers where they are placed on "hibernation" through the winter, NASA calls it by its technical name: Safe Mode:[7]
"After all the recorded data has been received on the ground we will again command the spacecraft into its safe mode or hibernation state."
Lack of power is one of such events that put the spacecraft into safe mode. Please look it up. I have no problem if a note is included in the article indicating that spacecraft safing (safe mode) is nicknamed Lazarus Mode by the mass media. Thank you, -BatteryIncluded (talk) 18:58, 4 November 2008 (UTC)
Mars lander Phoenix has lost power and is no longer communicating with Earth. The problem was sunlight: With the winter sun at Phoenix's landing site hanging lower day-by-day and an unexpected dust storm dimming the sun even more, Phoenix's solar panels could not gather the light they needed to charge the lander's batteries. Mission planners always knew Phoenix would not survive the harsh Martian winter, so this turn of events is no surprise. Farewell, Phoenix, and congratulations to the Phoenix team on a very successful mission
source:www.spaceweather.com —Preceding unsigned comment added by Govardhanvt (talk • contribs) 12:05, 11 November 2008 (UTC)
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/phoenix/news/phoenix-20081110.html
Mars Phoenix Lander Finishes Successful Work on Red Planet11.10.08 Phoenix spacecraft on Mars. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Calech/University of Arizona Full image and caption
During the first 90 Martian days after its May 25, 2008, landing on an arctic plain of Mars, NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander dug several trenches in the workspace reachable with the lander's robotic arm. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Calech/University of Arizona/Texas A&M University
Full image and caption
These images show sublimation of ice in the trench informally called "Dodo-Goldilocks" over the course of four days. The images were taken on June 15 and June 19, 2008. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Calech/University of Arizona/Texas A&M University
Full image and caption
Image archive Animations and videos Video: mission highlights WASHINGTON -- NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander has ceased communications after operating for more than five months. As anticipated, seasonal decline in sunshine at the robot's arctic landing site is not providing enough sunlight for the solar arrays to collect the power necessary to charge batteries that operate the lander's instruments.
Mission engineers last received a signal from the lander on Nov. 2. Phoenix, in addition to shorter daylight, has encountered a dustier sky, more clouds and colder temperatures as the northern Mars summer approaches autumn. The mission exceeded its planned operational life of three months to conduct and return science data.
The project team will be listening carefully during the next few weeks to hear if Phoenix revives and phones home. However, engineers now believe that is unlikely because of the worsening weather conditions on Mars. While the spacecraft's work has ended, the analysis of data from the instruments is in its earliest stages.
"Phoenix has given us some surprises, and I'm confident we will be pulling more gems from this trove of data for years to come," said Phoenix Principal Investigator Peter Smith of the University of Arizona in Tucson.
Launched Aug. 4, 2007, Phoenix landed May 25, 2008, farther north than any previous spacecraft to land on the Martian surface. The lander dug, scooped, baked, sniffed and tasted the Red Planet's soil. Among early results, it verified the presence of water-ice in the Martian subsurface, which NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter first detected remotely in 2002. Phoenix's cameras also returned more than 25,000 pictures from sweeping vistas to near the atomic level using the first atomic force microscope ever used outside Earth.
"Phoenix not only met the tremendous challenge of landing safely, it accomplished scientific investigations on 149 of its 152 Martian days as a result of dedicated work by a talented team," said Phoenix Project Manager Barry Goldstein at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.
Phoenix's preliminary science accomplishments advance the goal of studying whether the Martian arctic environment has ever been favorable for microbes. Additional findings include documenting a mildly alkaline soil environment unlike any found by earlier Mars missions; finding small concentrations of salts that could be nutrients for life; discovering perchlorate salt, which has implications for ice and soil properties; and finding calcium carbonate, a marker of effects of liquid water.
Phoenix findings also support the goal of learning the history of water on Mars. These findings include excavating soil above the ice table, revealing at least two distinct types of ice deposits; observing snow descending from clouds; providing a mission-long weather record, with data on temperature, pressure, humidity and wind; observations of haze, clouds, frost and whirlwinds; and coordinating with NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter to perform simultaneous ground and orbital observations of Martian weather.
"Phoenix provided an important step to spur the hope that we can show Mars was once habitable and possibly supported life," said Doug McCuistion, director of the Mars Exploration Program at NASA Headquarters in Washington. "Phoenix was supported by orbiting NASA spacecraft providing communications relay while producing their own fascinating science. With the upcoming launch of the Mars Science Laboratory, the Mars Program never sleeps."
The University of Arizona leads the Phoenix mission with project management at JPL and development partnership at Lockheed Martin Corporation in Denver. International contributions came from the Canadian Space Agency; the University of Neuchatel, Switzerland; the universities of Copenhagen and Aarhus in Denmark; the Max Planck Institute in Germany; the Finnish Meteorological Institute; and Imperial College of London.
For additional information about Phoenix mission findings, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/phoenix Media contacts: Dwayne Brown Headquarters, Washington 202-358-1726 dwayne.c.brown@nasa.gov
Guy Webster/Rhea Borja Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. 818-354-6278/0850 guy.webster@jpl.nasa.gov, rhea.r.borja@jpl.nasa.gov
Lori Stiles University of Arizona, Tucson 520-626-4402 lstiles@email.arizona.edu
08-284 —Preceding unsigned comment added by Govardhanvt (talk • contribs) 12:18, 11 November 2008 (UTC)
Hi: I just found this article and am wondering why the Mars landing date is not included somewhere in the beginning/at the top of the page. Is that omitted for a reason? Martini1123 (talk) 03:26, 14 February 2009 (UTC)
I have tagged File:Sol_004_lidar.jpg, which is in use in this article for deletion because it does not have a copyright tag. If a copyright tag is not added within seven days the image will be deleted. --Chris 09:54, 28 April 2009 (UTC)
Phoenix lnder on twitter was a pretty big hit and won a twitter award http://www.parabolicarc.com/2009/02/10/nasa-wins-twitter-award-phoenix-lander-updates/ Probably as notable if not more than the DVD. Should be added if anyone has time . - Ravedave (talk) 19:50, 9 November 2009 (UTC)
This page is an archive of past discussions. Do not edit the contents of this page. If you wish to start a new discussion or revive an old one, please do so on the current talk page. |