* Astronomy

Blobrana · L

RE: The Phoenix lander

Blobrana · L

NASA aims to launch its Phoenix Mars Lander on Saturday because thunderstorms that swept into the Cape Canaveral area Tuesday delayed a critical fuel-loading operation.
There is a back-up launch opportunity Sunday, but after that, NASA would have to decide whether to postpone either the time-critical Mars mission or the scheduled launch next Tuesday of shuttle Endeavour.

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Blobrana · L

Friday's launch of NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander aboard a United Launch Alliance Delta II rocket has been postponed 24 hours. The two available launch times on Saturday, Aug. 4, are 2:26:34 and 3:02:59 a.m. Pacific Time ( 5:26:34 a.m. and 6:02:59 a.m. Eastern Time).
Due to a forecast for severe weather around the Kennedy Space Centre launch pad on Tuesday afternoon, fuelling of the second stage will not be completed Tuesday afternoon. While this is expected to be done Wednesday morning, there is insufficient contingency time in the schedule to move forward with the planned Friday launch.
The pre-launch news conference has been rescheduled to Thursday, Aug. 2, at 11 a.m. Pacific Time ( 2 p.m. Eastern Time) at the NASA press site at Kennedy Space Centre . All other planned events for the news media will occur at the same times 24 hours later. NASA TV and Web coverage for launch will begin at 12:30 a.m. Pacific Time ( 3:30 a.m. Eastern Time) on Saturday.

Source NASA

Blobrana · L

The launch of the Phoenix spacecraft has been rescheduled to Saturday due to bad weather hampering the fuelling of the second stage today.
There are two launch opportunities on Saturday; one at 10:26 BST (05:26 EDT) and another at 11:02 BST (06:02 EDT).

Launch times.


Date     Instant One 93-degree azimuth     Instant Two 99-degree azimuth
August 3     10:35:18 a.m.     11:11:24 a.m.
August 4     10:26:31 a.m.     11:02:55 a.m.
August 5     10:17:23 a.m.     10:53:59 a.m.
August 6     10:07:48 a.m.     10:44:32 a.m.

Blobrana · L

A three-legged NASA spacecraft with a long arm for digging trenches is going to the Martian north pole to study if the environment is favourable for primitive life.
But before it can start its work, the Phoenix Mars Lander must survive landing on the surface of the rocky, dusty Red Planet, which has a reputation of swallowing manmade probes. Of the 15 global attempts to land spacecraft on Mars, only five have made it.

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Blobrana · L

STATUS REPORT: ELV-072707

Mission: Phoenix
Location: Launch Pad 17-A
Launch Vehicle: Delta II 7925
Launch Date: Aug. 3, 2007
Launch Time: 5:35:21 a.m. EDT

Phoenix was transported to Pad 17-A at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station for mating to the Delta II on Monday, July 23.
The flight program verification test was conducted successfully on Wednesday, July 25. This is an electrical test that confirms the Delta II and Phoenix are working together as an integrated system.
Technicians are installing the Delta II payload fairing around the Phoenix spacecraft Friday.
The Delta II second stage is scheduled to be loaded with its complement of storable propellants on July 31.
The mobile service tower, or gantry, is scheduled to be retracted from around the Delta II at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 2, for launch the next morning.

Blobrana · L

Gusting winds and the pulsating exhaust plumes from the Phoenix spacecraft's landing engines could complicate NASA's efforts to sample frozen soil from the surface of Mars, according to University of Michigan atmospheric scientist Nilton Renno.

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Blobrana · L

Is there life in Martian ice?
In just over a week`s time NASA`s Phoenix Lander is due to launch for Mars where it will probe the arctic landscape searching for conditions favourable for past or present life. UK scientists from Imperial College London and the University of Bristol have provided hardware and are involved in the science operations.
The launch is scheduled for 1035 am GMT (0535 am EDT) on 3rd August (3 week launch window) with the spacecraft starting its journey onboard a Delta II rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida. Phoenix will descend and land on the Red Planets northern plains, in the area known as Vastitas Borealis, in May 2008, where it will claw down into the icy soil. Once on the surface the scientists will have three months to complete their tasks before the Martian winter sets in and the solar panels no longer provide enough power to run the instruments.

Source

Blobrana · L

Representing the first chance since the Beagle mission for UK hardware to contribute to the exploration of the Martian surface, Imperial College London is providing micro-machine technology for next months mission.
Dr Tom Pike New Window and his team at Imperials Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering have provided substratessurfaces used to hold samples for imagingfor the Mars Phoenix mission. These substrates will hold dust and soil for examination in a microscope station attached to the Phoenix lander.
The grains of Martian dust and soil, delivered by a mechanical excavating arm, will be imaged by an optical microscope and an atomic force microscope. Together they will provide the highest resolution of imaging ever taken on another planet.

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Blobrana · L

Launch of NASA's Phoenix Mars lander is scheduled for Friday, Aug. 3, from Pad 17-A at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. There are two instantaneous launch times, 09:35:18 GMT and 10:11:24 GMT. NASA's Launch Services Program at the Kennedy Space Centre is responsible for the launch of Phoenix aboard a Delta II rocket. United Launch Alliance is conducting the launch service for NASA. Should the launch be postponed 24 hours for any reason, the launch times are 09:26:31 and 10:02:55 GMT. For a 48-hour postponement, the launch times are 09:17:23 and 09:53:59 GMT.
The Phoenix spacecraft will land in the arctic region of Mars and attempt to answer questions such as: Can the Martian arctic support life? What is the history of water at the polar landing site? How is the Martian climate affected by polar seasonal change?
To answer these questions, Phoenix uses some of the most sophisticated and advanced technology ever sent to Mars. A robotic arm on the lander will dig through the soil to the water ice layer underneath, and deliver soil and ice samples to the mission's experiments. On the instrument deck are miniature ovens, a mass spectrometer, an atomic force microscope and a "chemistry lab in a box" to analyse the samples. Imaging systems will provide an unprecedented view of Mars. Also included is a weather station.

Prelaunch Press Conference
A prelaunch press conference will be held at the NASA News Centre at Kennedy Space Centre at 18:00 GMT on Wednesday, Aug. 1. Participating in the briefing will be:

Doug McCuistion, Director, Mars Exploration Program NASA Headquarters, Washington
Chuck Dovale, NASA Launch Director Kennedy Space Centre
Kris Walsh, Director of Delta NASA and Commercial Programs United Launch Alliance, Littleton, Colorado.
Barry Goldstein, Phoenix Project Manager Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California.
Ed Sedivy, Phoenix Spacecraft Program Manager Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver
Joel Tumbiolo, U.S. Air Force Delta II Launch Weather Officer 45th Weather Squadron, Cape Canaveral Air Force Station

Mission Science Briefing
A mission science briefing will immediately follow the prelaunch press conference. Participating will be:

Michael Meyer, Lead Scientist for Mars NASA Headquarters
Peter Smith, Phoenix Principal Investigator University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona.
Ray Arvidson, Co-chairman, Phoenix Landing Site Working Group Washington University, St. Louis
Leslie Tamppari, Phoenix Project Scientist Jet Propulsion Laboratory
William Boynton, Lead Scientist for Thermal and Evolved-Gas Analyser University of Arizona
Michael Hecht, Lead Scientist for Microscopy, Electrochemistry and Conductivity Analyser Jet Propulsion Laboratory

A post-launch release will be issued approximately two hours after launch to confirm that contact has been made with the spacecraft through the Deep Space Network. A post-launch press conference will be held at the NASA-KSC News Centre at 15:00 GMT to discuss the state of health of Phoenix.

Source: Kennedy Space Centre