[MBHockey]

Originally Posted by Moogs There was no live stream of the actual landing, you just mean the JPL coverage right? If there was actually photos/videos why the hell didn't Science Channel put them on?

Yeah the stream was just the coverage...not a stream of the actual landing

[drewprops]

I was watching the streaming NASA feed, but was getting tired of the repeated snippets with the woman interviewing people, and anxious that the time for landing was nearing, so on a whim I hit the "Play" button over to the right of the play window on the off chance that it might be a different feed, and in a few seconds I was suddenly "caught up" with real events and listening as they counted down the distance of the lander from the ground until she was down. Not a very coherent production... no narrative structure or guidance for the viewer.

[NosferaDrew]

Here's the essential bits.
Mission Control footage of the people involved experiencing the landing.

I love this stuff!

[curiousuburb]

Two false-colour images, and some greyscale, with links to higher res and/or RAW data

Originally Posted by NASA Phoenix Opens Its Eyes . 05.25.08 This image, one of the first captured by NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander, shows the vast plains of the northern polar region of Mars. 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 freezing and thawing of surface ice. Phoenix touched down on the Red Planet at 4:53 p.m. Pacific Time (7:53 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 shortly after landing by the spacecraft's Surface Stereo Imager, inferred from two color filters, a violet, 450-nanometer filter and an infrared, 750-nanometer filter. Full resolution

Originally Posted by NASA Icy, Patterned Ground on Mars . 05.26.08 This image shows a polygonal pattern in the ground near NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander, similar in appearance to icy ground in the arctic regions of Earth. 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, at 68 degrees north latitude, 234 degrees east longitude. This is an approximate-color image taken shortly after landing by the spacecraft's Surface Stereo Imager, inferred from two color filters, a violet, 450-nanometer filter and an infrared, 750-nanometer filter. Full resolution Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona

Left and Right eye stereo images of the footpad. Click for link to zoomable image viewer (with detailed rollover image captions).


Solar panel Rover deck with BioBarrier on arm retracted

Full Image Gallery

[Moogs]

Amazing, amazing stuff.

[MBHockey]

Originally Posted by drewprops I was watching the streaming NASA feed, but was getting tired of the repeated snippets with the woman interviewing people, and anxious that the time for landing was nearing, so on a whim I hit the "Play" button over to the right of the play window on the off chance that it might be a different feed, and in a few seconds I was suddenly "caught up" with real events and listening as they counted down the distance of the lander from the ground until she was down. Not a very coherent production... no narrative structure or guidance for the viewer.

Were you using your Mac to view the stream (with Flip4Mac?)

Because streaming has never really worked in Flip4Mac for me...amazing since it's a 2 year old product. I used IE7 in Parallels to watch the stream.

[ronmexico]

looks like there are very few options to hide from dust storms...

[curiousuburb]

MRO catches Phoenix during EDL

They noted that this was an image rushed for the press briefing, and that with a bit of processing, they'll likely have an even sharper version of this one in a few days.

Given that you can see soil, backshell, chute, and strings already (presumingly while doing thousands of mph - they're checking timestamp) tough to see how they can improve much... impressive already.

Originally Posted by phoenix.lpl.arizona.edu Camera On Mars Orbiter Snaps Phoenix During Landing May 26, 2008 -- A telescopic camera in orbit around Mars caught a view of NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander suspended from its parachute during the lander's successful arrival at Mars Sunday evening, May 25. The image from the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter marks the first time ever one spacecraft has photographed another one in the act of landing on Mars. Meanwhile, scientists pored over initial images from Phoenix, the first ever taken from the surface of Mars' polar regions. Phoenix returned information that it was in good health after its first night on Mars, and the Phoenix team sent the spacecraft its to-do list for the day. "We can see cracks in the troughs that make us think the ice is still modifying the surface," said Phoenix Principal Investigator Peter Smith of the University of Arizona, Tucson. "We see fresh cracks. Cracks can't be old. They would fill in." Camera pointing for the image from HiRISE used navigational information about Phoenix updated on landing day. The camera team and Phoenix team would not know until the image was sent to Earth whether it had actually caught Phoenix. "We saw a few other bright spots in the image first, but when we saw the parachute and the lander with the cords connecting them, there was no question," said HiRISE Principal Investigator Alfred McEwen, also of the University of Arizona. "I'm floored. I'm absolutely floored," said Phoenix Project Manager Barry Goldstein of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. A team analyzing what can be learned from the Phoenix descent through the Martian atmosphere will use the image to reconstruct events. HiRISE usually points downward. For this image, the pointing was at 62 degrees, nearly two-thirds of the way from straight down to horizontal. To tilt the camera, the whole orbiter must tilt. Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter was already pointed toward the expected descent path of Phoenix to record radio transmissions from Phoenix. McEwen said, "We've never taken an image at such an oblique angle before." Monday's tasks for Phoenix include checkouts of some instruments and systems, plus additional imaging of the lander's surroundings.

[drewprops]

Off Topic Re: Flip-4-Mac:

Originally Posted by MBHockey Were you using your Mac to view the stream (with Flip4Mac?) Yes, I'm running Tiger (v.10.4.11) on a 1.67GHz PowerPC G4 Powerbook, using Flip-4-Mac... v.2.2.0.49 and it runs just fine(v.1.0.0.x).

[JohnnyTheA]

Originally Posted by drewprops Off Topic Re: Flip-4-Mac: Yes, I'm running Tiger (v.10.4.11) on a 1.67GHz PowerPC G4 Powerbook, using Flip-4-Mac... v.2.2.0.49 and it runs just fine(v.1.0.0.x).

I have problems running flip for mac on my leopard iMac and MBP but it runs fine under Tiger...

JTA

[curiousuburb]

Today's briefing had new b&w orbiter images of the descent over Heimdall crater

as well as false-colour shots of 'parachute and backshell', , 'heatshield and bounce mark' on the surface

Ed Weiler's 'polar bear' white spot on the horizon in one of the Phoenix images looks like it's backshell (heatshields don't ablate to white). Chute must be out of shot or below terrain.

Both were discussed, but I only got home for the end of today's briefing.

Also released from the friendly orbiter folks today, this colourized portrait.



Press briefing might replay around 7pm EDT

[Moogs]

Did I hear correctly that they're having trouble with the robotic arm? That would blow festering martian balls.

[curiousuburb]

I know they try to delay movement during the initial deploy until noon or more to let the grease heat up and give the joints a chance.

You can now get a Phoenix weather widget for Dashboard



-112°F/-80°C! That'll make joints cranky. Even some canucks*, eh.

* Part of the meteorological station is Canadian, eh? We're secretly testing for beer in the martian atmosphere. Martian ice. Too bad no stick and puck, eh?

[atomicbartbeans]

Call me nuts, but it sounds like the lander has some pretty shitty computing hardware - 33 Mhz clock rate? VxWorks? The router under my desk has better specs (and incidentally also uses VxWorks).

What prevents NASA from using something a little faster - surely it would allow for more intensive imaging (perhaps a video feed)?

[Kickaha]

If you think that's bad, your eyes would pop and your brane asplode if you knew what was in current military hardware.

When you're going for rugged, you use what works, what is known, and what is as absolutely rock solid as possible.

[Moogs]

Yah I don't get that at all. I know the space shuttle has some ancient computers in it too. I don't really understand why that is, though I realize for most single function space flight computers, a 3 GHz Xeon is not required. I guess the math is [relatively simple enough] for some operations that it makes sense to have a very slow, low-heat chip (that will still do the math quick anyway).

[Kickaha]

Well, part of it is simple physics - the finer the traces on a chip, the easier they are blown apart by stray radiation. So 45nm chips? Ha. You want chips that are a couple steps removed from 8088s.

Secondly, you want hardware that *every possible boundary case has been found and documented* - which means nothing new or even remotely recent.

Up until a just a handful of years ago, the Shuttles flew on computers with about the same power as an Apple ][+.

Seriously.

[Brad]

Yup. What Kickaha said. The radiation that passes through you in space would wreak havoc on modern chips without sufficient shielding (which would surely add significant payload).

That we send such complicated devices into space using such "outdated" technology is nothing short of an engineering miracle.

[Moogs]

You guys are computer genii. I hadn't thought of the raditiation-pwns-nano-circuitry aspect. Does the same hold true for fighter jets to some degree (more radiation up thar)? I think I read somewhere that even those aircraft use somewhat dated cpus to get things done....

[Kickaha]

Yup. In fact, most front-line electronics are radiation-hardened. This means: coarser traces, thicker traces, and shielding. All of which are the opposite of what you want in (most) consumer applications.

Add to that, that a fighter flying now was likely built two decades ago, and designed a decade or two before *that* and you get a feel for what level of technology is in those things. They upgrade them periodically, but very carefully, and very slowly. These are scenarios where it has to be rock-solid.

[curiousuburb]

Ice, Ice, Baby

Originally Posted by NASA Hard Substrate, Possibly Ice, Uncovered Under the Mars Lander 06.02.08 The Robotic Arm Camera on NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander captured this image underneath the lander on the fifth Martian day, or sol, of the mission. Descent thrusters on the bottom of the lander are visible at the top of the image. This view from the north side of the lander toward the southern leg shows smooth surfaces cleared from overlying soil by the rocket exhaust during landing. One exposed edge of the underlying material was seen in Sol 4 images, but the newer image reveals a greater extent of it. The abundance of excavated smooth and level surfaces adds evidence to a hypothesis that the underlying material is an ice table covered by a thin blanket of soil. The bright-looking surface material in the center, where the image is partly overexposed, may not be inherently brighter than the foreground material in shadow. 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. Images NASA/JPL-Caltech//University of Arizona/Max Planck Institute

Originally Posted by NASA Martian Soil Inside Phoenix's Robotic Arm Scoop 06.02.08 This image from NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander's Robotic Arm Camera (RAC) shows material from the Martian surface captured by the Robotic Arm (RA) scoop during its first test dig and dump on the seventh Martian day of the mission, or Sol 7 (June 1, 2008). The test sample shown was taken from the digging area informally known as "Knave of Hearts." Scientists speculate that the white patches on the right side of the image could possibly be ice or salts that precipitated into the soil. Scientists also speculate that this white material is probably the same material seen in previous images from under the lander in which an upper surface of an ice table was observed. The color for this image was acquired by illuminating the RA scoop with a set of red, green, and blue light-emitting diodes (LEDs).

Note that this was a 'practice scoop' and was dumped, not analyzed.

Originally Posted by NASA Stereo View of Phoenix Test Sample Site 06.02.08 This anaglyph image, acquired by NASA's Phoenix Lander's Surface Stereo Imager on Sol 7, the seventh day of the mission (June 1, 2008), shows a stereoscopic 3D view of the so-called "Knave of Hearts" first-dig test area to the north of the lander. The Robotic Arm's scraping blade left a small horizontal depression above where the sample was taken. Scientists speculate that white material in the depression left by the dig could represent ice or salts that precipitated into the soil. This material is likely the same while material observed in the sample in the Robotic Arm's scoop.

Originally Posted by NASA Phoenix Test Sample Site in Color 06.02.08 This color image, acquired by NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander's Surface Stereo Imager on Sol 7, the seventh day of the mission (June 1, 2008), shows the so-called "Knave of Hearts" first-dig test area to the north of the lander. The Robotic Arm's scraping blade left a small horizontal depression above where the sample was taken.

[Moogs]

Originally Posted by curiousuburb Ice, Ice, Baby

That is so bad-ass. How cool is that... we *landed* on top of a patch of ice (who knows how prevalent or patchy it is. Just think if we'd landed in a spot where there was none and no uncovered areas nearby we might assume there was none). Martian snow-cone time! Did they including the syrupy flavor mixes on the lander for taste testing?

[curiousuburb]

Listen to Phoenix Descend*

*as recorded by Mars Express

[Moogs]

err.. sounds like my television on channel 1.

[Brad]

I'm seriously loving those color composite photos there. Exciting stuff!

[Bryson]

They found ice. For sure.

[Moogs]

[bugs]ww-watah.... I gotta have WATAH![/bugs]

[curiousuburb]

Press conference just confirmed... water found. Wo0t!!¡!

Phoenix and JPL web servers are getting hammered with traffic at the moment, but I'll throw the link up as soon as they return.

Originally Posted by link above NASA Spacecraft Confirms Martian Water, Mission Extended TUCSON, Ariz. -- Laboratory tests aboard NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander have identified water in a soil sample. The lander's robotic arm delivered the sample Wednesday to an instrument that identifies vapors produced by the heating of samples. "We have water," said William Boynton of the University of Arizona, lead scientist for the Thermal and Evolved-Gas Analyzer, or TEGA. "We've seen evidence for this water ice before in observations by the Mars Odyssey orbiter and in disappearing chunks observed by Phoenix last month, but this is the first time Martian water has been touched and tasted." With enticing results so far and the spacecraft in good shape, NASA also announced operational funding for the mission will extend through Sept. 30. The original prime mission of three months ends in late August. The mission extension adds five weeks to the 90 days of the prime mission. "Phoenix is healthy and the projections for solar power look good, so we want to take full advantage of having this resource in one of the most interesting locations on Mars," said Michael Meyer, chief scientist for the Mars Exploration Program at NASA Headquarters in Washington. The soil sample came from a trench approximately 2 inches deep. When the robotic arm first reached that depth, it hit a hard layer of frozen soil. Two attempts to deliver samples of icy soil on days when fresh material was exposed were foiled when the samples became stuck inside the scoop. Most of the material in Wednesday's sample had been exposed to the air for two days, letting some of the water in the sample vaporize away and making the soil easier to handle. "Mars is giving us some surprises," said Phoenix principal investigator Peter Smith of the University of Arizona. "We're excited because surprises are where discoveries come from. One surprise is how the soil is behaving. The ice-rich layers stick to the scoop when poised in the sun above the deck, different from what we expected from all the Mars simulation testing we've done. That has presented challenges for delivering samples, but we're finding ways to work with it and we're gathering lots of information to help us understand this soil." Since landing on May 25, Phoenix has been studying soil with a chemistry lab, TEGA, a microscope, a conductivity probe and cameras. Besides confirming the 2002 finding from orbit of water ice near the surface and deciphering the newly observed stickiness, the science team is trying to determine whether the water ice ever thaws enough to be available for biology and if carbon-containing chemicals and other raw materials for life are present. The mission is examining the sky as well as the ground. A Canadian instrument is using a laser beam to study dust and clouds overhead. "It's a 30-watt light bulb giving us a laser show on Mars," said Victoria Hipkin of the Canadian Space Agency. A full-circle, color panorama of Phoenix's surroundings also has been completed by the spacecraft. "The details and patterns we see in the ground show an ice-dominated terrain as far as the eye can see," said Mark Lemmon of Texas A&M University, lead scientist for Phoenix's Surface Stereo Imager camera. "They help us plan measurements we're making within reach of the robotic arm and interpret those measurements on a wider scale." The Phoenix mission is led by Smith at the University of Arizona with project management at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., and development partnership at Lockheed Martin in Denver. International contributions come from the Canadian Space Agency; the University of Neuchatel, Switzerland; the universities of Copenhagen and Aarhus in Denmark; the Max Planck Institute in Germany; and the Finnish Meteorological Institute.

[curiousuburb]

Phoenix is now pining for the fjords.

But lots of good science, and plenty of data to keep researchers busy.

And who knows... maybe spring will give it an eponymous last hurrah.

[Brad]

Yeah, I just read a similar article yesterday. It was all expected, of course. As for any hope of it returning to life after the winter, I'm not holding any. The batteries will likely be destroyed by the cold and the craft itself may be crushed by frozen CO2 that may accumulate throughout the winter.