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NASA, Phoenix Get Lay Of Land On Mars Surface

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Los Angeles Times

Published: May 27, 2008

Ground operations began Monday at the Phoenix landing site at Mars' north pole, with the latest images from the robotic lander showing a bizarre, checkerboard-type landscape apparently carved by the movement of ice lying only inches beneath the surface.

Employing a "follow the water" philosophy, scientists have sent Phoenix to the pole to search for organic molecules that could indicate Mars' potential as a home for some forms of life.

The first images beamed back to Earth show polygonal-shaped features bordered by narrow troughs. At first glance, they don't appear particularly gripping. Some observers have compared the scene to a lumpy parking lot.

"The pictures may look a little bleak, but the science can be fascinating," said Peter Smith, the principal scientist from the University of Arizona. "This is just like the active surface you see in the Arctic."

On Earth, such features are formed by the thawing and refreezing of water, which causes the surface to expand and contract, something like a sheet of brownies pulled from the oven at the wrong time.

This is significant, because if the ice on Mars does thaw, it could provide a liquid medium for life, not the kind of higher life forms that walk around and leave recognizable signs, but rudimentary forms such as bacteria. One picture returned by Phoenix that amused scientists contains an as-yet unexplained artifact some have compared to a "for sale" sign.

On Earth, the polar regions are good record keepers of past climate change, and the scientists hope the same holds true on Mars.

The science team Monday began testing Phoenix's 7.7-foot-long robotic arm, which will begin digging into the soil in the next few days.

The mission, at a cost of $420 million, is expected to last 90 days.

Phoenix landed in spring on Mars, but in winter the lander will be enveloped by a thick coating of carbon dioxide ice, which probably will kill its electronics and prevent its solar panels from gathering even a minimal amount of sunlight available.

Pictures taken by a mast camera that came down shortly after the landing showed that one of the 756-pound lander's 3-foot pads had dug into the topsoil about 4 inches. That made the scientific team even more optimistic that Phoenix will be able to dig down to the ice level.

Also Monday, mission managers sent the first command to the orbiting Mars Odyssey spacecraft, which relayed it to Phoenix.

"We've achieved the first major goal of the mission," Smith said.

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