Laboratory tests aboard the Phoenix have just identifiedthe unmistakable presence of water. The robot arm poured a sample of regolith, a set of loose materials, into the instrument that identifies the vapors produced by heating the grains of soil. “We have water,” said William Boynton of the University of Arizona. “Last month we observed chunks of ice melting on the ground.But this is the first time that Martian water has been palpated … tasted“With such portentous results, and since the robot is in perfect condition, NASA couldn’t help butextend the mission four more weeks than scheduled, until September 30.
The soil sample came from a hole about 4 centimeters deep dug by the Phoenix’s instruments several days ago. It was difficult to penetrate because the subsoil was so frozen that the shovel scraped without obtaining anything. So it was decided to leave that frozen land exposed to the elements for two days. Thus, by melting a little it would be easier to collect a sample. The Red Planet is playing with the scientists … and they, how could it be otherwise, are delighted.
Is Mars giving us surprises? says Peter Smith, the investigator leading the mission. ? We are very excited because it is precisely from these unexpected things that great discoveries come. It is especially striking how the regolith , the earth, is behaving. The ice-rich layers stick to the scoop when allowed to sit in the sun on the bridge. It is very different from what happened in our simulations. That? Stickiness? It has been a challenge when it comes to pouring the samples into the furnaces, but we are discovering ways to do it and at the same time we are receiving mountains of information that help us understand the Martian soil.?
NASA Phoenix Mission
The mission is examining not only the earth, but also the sky. A Canadian instrument is using a laser beam to study dust and clouds. “If we could observe it directly, we would see a spectacle of green beams,” says Victoria Hipkin of the Canadian Space Agency.
In addition, Phoenix has also completed the panoramic color imaging of the landing area, made with snapshots taken with the stereo cameras of the Surface Stereo Imager device. The photos show the Martian terrain of the high Arctic latitudes, which, as seen in the screenshot above, is quite flat, with few rocks, and with mounds and depressions that indicate the presence of subterranean ice. “It’s essentially ice-dominated terrain,” confirms Mark Lemmon of Texas A&M University.
Water on the Red Planet: Not bad at all as a birthday present for NASA.
Angela Posada-Swafford
