Nasa reports that the Phoenix Martian lander's mission is now over. The hearty little craft finally ran out of power, not due to the expanding Martian winter, but rather a dust storm that blocked the sun from its solar panels.
Nasa's expectations and hopes for the Phoenix mission were met even though the lander didn't last as long as it was hoped. The lander was the first to touch water on another planet, a historic accomplishment in itself.
Scientists will be analyzing the date received from Phoenix for many years to come.
What plans for the future?
The Planetary Society will give a press conference on Nov. 13 to discuss what plans they would like to see in the near future and taking into consideration the current economic situation.
For more on the future of spaceflight and space tourism, visit Nasa's Future of Flight site.
--->Susan
Showing posts with label phoenix lander. Show all posts
Showing posts with label phoenix lander. Show all posts
10 November 2008
04 November 2008
Phoenix is Fading
The End is Near
The Phoenix Mars lander mission is quickly coming to an end as the staunch little probe runs out of energy. The cause is the decreasing sunlight of the Martian arctic site and dust kicked up by storms.
This animation shows how NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander stays in contact with Earth. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona
Little Phoenix will continue broadcasting until the end.
A Sexy Love Triangle
Photographer Shannon L. Story of Texas got a shot of Venus, Jupiter and the Moon as makes its way to a triangular gathering peaking on December 1st.
Sunspot 1007
Photographer Alan Friedman took this shot from his backyard of sunspot 1007. Says Friedman, "It's filamentary, my dear Watson!" The image does bear a curious resemblance to the pipe of Sherlock Holmes.
Take the Pill, NEO.
Nov. 2008 Earth-asteroid encounters:
Planetary Magnetism
Oh this is a cool one:
This is an artist's conception of what is called a flux transfer event or 'FTE,' a magnetic portal will open, linking Earth to the sun 93 million miles away. Tons of high-energy particles may flow through the opening before it closes again. And this happens nearly once every eight minutes.
Cool, huh?
Blogger's Note: The information and images are from Nasa's Space Weather Site. This is presented with links to additional information for self-educational purposes only. No copyright infringement is intended.
That's all!
--->Susan
The Phoenix Mars lander mission is quickly coming to an end as the staunch little probe runs out of energy. The cause is the decreasing sunlight of the Martian arctic site and dust kicked up by storms.
This animation shows how NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander stays in contact with Earth. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona
Little Phoenix will continue broadcasting until the end.
A Sexy Love Triangle
Photographer Shannon L. Story of Texas got a shot of Venus, Jupiter and the Moon as makes its way to a triangular gathering peaking on December 1st.
Sunspot 1007
Photographer Alan Friedman took this shot from his backyard of sunspot 1007. Says Friedman, "It's filamentary, my dear Watson!" The image does bear a curious resemblance to the pipe of Sherlock Holmes.
Take the Pill, NEO.
Nov. 2008 Earth-asteroid encounters:
| Asteroid | Date(UT) | Miss Distance | Mag. | Size |
| 2008 TX3 | Nov. 1 | 9 LD | 19 | 45 m |
| 2008 UT95 | Nov. 2 | 1.5 LD | 17 | 15 m |
| 2008 UC7 | Nov. 2 | 4.5 LD | 20 | 17 m |
| 4179 Toutatis | Nov. 9 | 20 LD | 14 | 3.8 km |
Planetary Magnetism
Oh this is a cool one:
This is an artist's conception of what is called a flux transfer event or 'FTE,' a magnetic portal will open, linking Earth to the sun 93 million miles away. Tons of high-energy particles may flow through the opening before it closes again. And this happens nearly once every eight minutes.
Cool, huh?
Blogger's Note: The information and images are from Nasa's Space Weather Site. This is presented with links to additional information for self-educational purposes only. No copyright infringement is intended.
That's all!
--->Susan
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