I will be updating this Blog post throughout the day. This is an exciting day for science and space buff’s Phoenix begins it landing sequence a short time from now…
Discovery will be doing live coverage and NASA TV will be streaming as well. I have been watching the press coverage this morning and all systems are go for landing.
26 Pyro Events and a huge number of Mechanical events have to happen in the 7 minutes of terror during the de-orbit burn and landing. High risk for sure and hopefully all the CAD’s blow and the software does not crash during the landing..
- 1830 EST Nasa TV is Live!
- 1916 Propulsion Tank Pressurized
- 1939 Cruise Stage Seperation
- The NASA crew Thirilled
- 1941 Turning for Entry
- Phooenix has Switched to high rate data communications
- 1946 Entry into the Atmosphere 7 Minutes to Landing
- 1949 Parachute Deployment
- This was a huge check point
- 1950 Heat Shield Seperation
- 1952 Lander Seperation
- Thrusters Detected
- 1953 Landing Awaiting word on Phoenix
Phoenix is on Mars and things so far look Really Good!!!
The lander is sitting flat, tanks are venting, next step we are waiting solar array deployment. Once the solar arrays deploy then phoenix will reach another major milestone.
Well as a post note the lander is in great shape and science collection will now commence on this 90 day mission. Unlike the rovers though this team has to work fast. As soon as winter comes the Phoenix is doomed as carbon dioxide ice a foot thick will shroud the lander.
NASA is a GO! Launch goes down in about 9 minutes will update as the launch proceeds.
The Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) could be in deep trouble. NASA has in essence lost contact with the spacecraft. With the spacecraft having been in orbit for nearly 9 years it has outlived it’s mission expectancy. NASA will be working hard to re-establish contact but sadly the spacecraft could be lost. [
Well the folks at NASA/JPL are faced with a dilemma, that may spell the demise of the Opportunity Rover. They are trying to determine how they should drive the Rover into the Victoria Crater but they are not necessarily worried about driving out. Thus the Opportunity Rover could very well be on a one way ticket into a crater to collect science. [
NASA has had their hands full processing the external shuttle tanks and announced that all Shuttle flights for 2007 will be sliding to the left a month. This will give the teams some relief in being able to keep up with external tank processing. The December shuttle flight is still a go. [
