May 27, 2008

Phoenix has landed!

The NASA Mars lander, Phoenix, has landed on the planet surface and is reportedly in good health and sending back data.

phoenix.jpg

NASA's Phoenix spacecraft landed in the northern polar region of Mars today to begin three months of examining a site chosen for its likelihood of having frozen water within reach of the lander's robotic arm.

Radio signals received at 4:53:44 p.m. Pacific Time (7:53:44 p.m. Eastern Time) confirmed the Phoenix Mars Lander had survived its difficult final descent and touchdown 15 minutes earlier. The signals took that long to travel from Mars to Earth at the speed of light.

Mission team members at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.; Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver; and the University of Arizona, Tucson, cheered confirmation of the landing and eagerly awaited further information from Phoenix later tonight.

There is a ton of information on the NASA site, including pictures, press releases, and explanations of the science packages.

Posted by elkaim at May 27, 2008 3:42 PM