Phoenix

[Whacker]

Something else I noticed.



Check out the far left/upper left of the image, the strut. That almost looks like it could be carbon scoring perhaps the landing jets, or maybe even frozen condensation?? Seems like it might be uneven raised surface, hence my possible ice guess. Anyone agree/disagree?

Edit - Or maybe debris kicked up by the landing jets that is adhering to the metal?

[Viking]

Something else I noticed.



Check out the far left/upper left of the image, the strut. That almost looks like it could be carbon scoring perhaps the landing jets, or maybe even frozen condensation?? Seems like it might be uneven raised surface, hence my possible ice guess. Anyone agree/disagree?

Edit - Or maybe debris kicked up by the landing jets that is adhering to the metal?

I noticed that also; but I haven't seen any mentioning of it officially, so I don't what to make out of it.

[Beirut]

More than anything I'm waiting for a pic of a spider's web on the lander's legs.

Would love to see the look on the ground control guy's face when he downloads that.

"Ummmm... uh... guys... "

[Viking]

Well, it turns out that the Phoenix landing site could sustain asparagus...

Which is not good news for astronauts who happens not to stand asparagus.

NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander found evidence of mineral nutrients essential to life in Martian dirt, mission scientists announced Thursday.

After performing the first wet chemistry experiment ever done on another planet, Phoenix discovered that a sample it dug of Martian dirt contained several soluble minerals, including potassium, magnesium and chloride. Though the data is preliminary, the results are very exciting, scientists said.

"We basically have found what appears to be the requirements for nutrients to support life," said Phoenix's wet chemistry lab lead, Sam Kounaves of Tufts University. "This is the type of soil you'd probably have in your backyard. You might be able to grow asparagus pretty well, but probably not strawberries."

Asparagus, which thrives in alkaline soil, would like the Martian dirt, which Phoenix measured to have a very alkaline pH of between eight to nine. Strawberries, meanwhile, like acidic soil, he said.

Some of this sample lead to the results:



Note about the colour:

The RAC [Robotic Arm Camera] provides its own illumination, so the color in RAC images is the color as seen on Earth, not color as it would appear on Mars.

[rajpoot]

Absolutly awesome! I missed the landing and all......they never aired it here but I got a few of the videos online.
Anyway, that shiny layer of ice, or whatever that is really makes imagination go wild, maybe it's the roof of some large underground dome city of greenmen who survive solely on asparagus :P :D

[Viking]

Anyway, that shiny layer of ice, or whatever that is really makes imagination go wild, maybe it's the roof of some large underground dome city of greenmen who survive solely on asparagus :P :D

I think you'd do good as a Phoenix science team member.

[Viking]

Something else I noticed.



Check out the far left/upper left of the image, the strut. That almost looks like it could be carbon scoring perhaps the landing jets, or maybe even frozen condensation?? Seems like it might be uneven raised surface, hence my possible ice guess. Anyone agree/disagree?

Edit - Or maybe debris kicked up by the landing jets that is adhering to the metal?

Here you go:


Underneath Phoenix Lander 97 Sols After Touchdown

The Robotic Arm Camera on NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander took this image on Sept. 1, 2008, at about 4 a.m. local solar time during the 97th Martian day, or sol, since landing. The view underneath the lander shows growth of the clumps adhering to leg strut (upper left) compared with what was present when a similar image was taken about three months earlier (see http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA10759).

The view in this Sol 97 image is southward. Illumination is from the early morning sun above the northeastern horizon. This is quite different from the illumination in the Sol 8 image, which was taken in mid-afternoon.

The science team has discussed various possible explanations for these clumps. One suggestion is that they may have started from a splash of mud if Phoenix's descent engines melted icy soil during the landing. Another is that specks of salt may have landed on the strut and began attracting atmospheric moisture that freezes and accumulates. The clumps are concentrated on the north side of the strut, usually in the shade, so their accumulation could be a consequence of the fact that condensation favors colder surfaces.

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