description Phoenix lander Overview
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Phoenix lander ranks #42 of 101 in the Spacecraft ranking, behind IUE (International Ultraviolet Explorer), ahead of Swift (Neil Gehrels Observatory).
Confirmed Martian water ice directly and completed polar science mission successfully, strong focused reputation.
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Where exactly did NASA's Phoenix lander touch down?
Phoenix landed in the Martian northern plains at about 68 degrees north latitude on May 25, 2008. Its site was in a region informally called Green Valley within Vastitas Borealis.
How did Phoenix prove that water ice was present?
Its robotic arm exposed bright chunks that disappeared over several Martian days, behavior consistent with ice sublimating into vapor. Phoenix later heated a soil sample in its TEGA instrument and directly detected water.
What else did Phoenix find besides water ice?
Phoenix detected perchlorate salts in the Martian soil and measured local weather and atmospheric conditions. Perchlorates are chemically important because they affect both potential habitability and future use of Martian resources.
Why did the Phoenix mission end?
Phoenix depended on solar power and was not designed to survive the dark northern winter. NASA received its final communication in November 2008 after more than five months of surface operations.
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