Tuesday, May 17, 2005
This is a full-size model of the Phoenix lander which will be sent to Mars to look for evidence of life. Scheduled to launch in 2007, it is the first of the so-called Mars Scout missions. Phoenix will land in the north polar region in May 2008 and operate until the winter, when the extreme cold will force its shutdown. The lander will have a robotic arm for digging up ground samples to a depth of 2 feet or so, below where the UV has sterilized the ground. The lander's instruments onboard will analyze the ground samples for evidence of organic molecules.
Labels: JPL Open House 2005
