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.

Among those in the JPL control room was NASA Administrator Michael Griffin, who noted this was the first successful Mars landing without airbags since Viking 2 in 1976.

“For the first time in 32 years, and only the third time in history, a JPL team has carried out a soft landing on Mars,” Griffin said. “I couldn’t be happier to be here to witness this incredible achievement.”

Team members celebrate Phoenix landing on Mars.
Larger view During its 422-million-mile flight from Earth to Mars after launching on Aug. 4, 2007, Phoenix relied on electricity from solar panels during the spacecraft’s cruise stage. The cruise stage was jettisoned seven minutes before the lander, encased in a protective shell, entered the Martian atmosphere. Batteries provide electricity until the lander’s own pair of solar arrays spread open.

“We’ve passed the hardest part and we’re breathing again, but we still need to see that Phoenix has opened its solar arrays and begun generating power,” said JPL’s Barry Goldstein, the Phoenix project manager. If all goes well, engineers will learn the status of the solar arrays between 7 and 7:30 p.m. Pacific Time (10 and 10:30 p.m. Eastern Time) from a Phoenix transmission relayed via NASA’s Mars Odyssey orbiter.

Nasa.org. Image courtesy of nasa.org

Notice:
Desinformado.com is not recommending this product and is not endorsed by any company which products are portrayed in any of our post. Right Now We do not have any business relationship with the manufacturer of this product or service. If you do business with them, Nice, but we are out of that equation.

Visit Desinformado.com for the most Complete Coverage of China Olympics 2008. The China Olympics 2008 Technology Roundup. USA Team, USA Dream Team, USA Olympic Team, USA vs China Olympic 2008. Statitics, Records, Olympic Records, USA Olympic Performance. Beijing Olympic 2008. http://en.beijing2008.cn/

Did you like this? If so, please bookmark it, about it, and subscribe to the blog RSS feed.