Phoenix has ‘picture perfect’ landing

The news vans, cameras and reporters are slowly moving out of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory parking lot after a weekend of crossed fingers, lucky peanuts and amazing scientific and engineering achievement.

Just before 5 p.m on Sunday, the Phoenix spacecraft used its descent thrusters and landed on its three legs on the Martian surface, all according to plan. The landing procedure was last attempted in 1999 with the Mars Polar Lander but communication was lost with the spacecraft shortly before it entered Mars’ atmosphere. This landing was “perfect,” according to Barry Goldstein, Phoenix project manager.

Since its landing, the spacecraft has been operating according to plan with only one glitch; the relay of information from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). The orbiter is one of two that was planned to communicate with Phoenix during morning and evening flyovers. Although it had been tested over 100 times before the landing, the orbiter’s UHF radio antenna stopped working. The MRO team is working to find the reason for the problem. In the meantime the second orbiter, the Odyssey, will be doing double duty as it relays the Phoenix information to and from Earth.

“[MRO] was working. We have done a lot of testing with the rovers, plus all the testing on Earth,” said Mark Garcia, deputy mission manager at JPL.

Garcia said that the only way to get instruction to and data from Phoenix to Earth is via the orbiters.

The communication problem delayed the deployment of more testing, including moving the spacecraft’s digging arm in to place for one day. On Wednesday commands were sent to the spacecraft to begin un-stowing the arm.

“It was successful,” said Mat Robinson, robotic arm lead from JPL. “It is un-stowed and out of its restraints.”

The team will proceed with more tests including checking the arm’s response in both the hot and cold temperatures on Mars and they will do a stability test on the lander itself. Photos will be taken under the lander to make certain they are not sitting on a large rock, although Robinson said that scenario is unlikely.

“We aren’t going to take any chances,” he said.