Thursday, October 25, 2007

This image marks the path traveled by the Phoenix spacecraft as of 11:37 PM, Pacific Daylight Time, on October 25, 2007. It has flown a distance of 147 million miles since launch...at a speed of 70,300 miles per hour.
ABOVE: This image marks the path traveled by the Phoenix spacecraft as of 11:37 PM, Pacific Daylight Time, on October 25, 2007. It has flown a distance of 147 million miles since launch...at a speed of 70,300 miles per hour. Click here to view the official webpage showing where Phoenix is in space.

PHOENIX Update... More than two months after launch, all seems to be running smooth as the Phoenix lander continues its voyage towards Mars. On September 12, a photo was released on the mission's website showing the Robotic Arm scoop as it laid encased inside a protective barrier shielding it from Earth-born microbes that may have hitched a ride onboard the spacecraft. What makes this image unique is that it is the first pic taken in-flight. Phoenix was 57 million miles away from Earth when this photo was taken a week before its release. The next time the camera that took this shot will be used is next May...after the lander hopefully touches down on the Red Planet successfully.

An artist's concept of the Phoenix Mars lander. The small photo towards the bottom right shows the Robotic Arm scoop. This image was taken in early September...when the spacecraft was 57 million miles away from Earth.
This pic shows the Robotic Arm (RA) scoop prior to launch. To the right of the scoop (towards the upper part of the photo) is the foil-like protective barrier that shields the RA from microbial contaminants that may have hitched a ride onboard the spacecraft.
NASA JPL / University of Arizona

PHOENIX Blog Entries Archive:

May 8, 2007
July 28, 2007
August 3, 2007
August 4, 2007
August 8, 2007
Posted by Richard Par at 11:49 PM
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