Click on image for animation
The Phoenix spacecraft is scheduled to begin raising its robotic arm up and
out of its stowed configuration on the third Martian day, or Sol 3 (May
28, 2008) of the mission. This artist's animation, based on engineering
models, shows how Phoenix will accomplish this task. First, its wrist
actuator will rotate, releasing its launch-restraint pin. Next, the
forearm moves up, releasing the elbow launch-restraint pin. The elbow
will then move up and over in small steps, a process referred to
as "staircasing." This ensures that the arm's protective biobarrier wrap,
now unpeeled and lying to the side of the arm, will not get in the way of
the arm's deployment.
The arm is scheduled to straighten all the way out on Sol 4 (May 29,
2008), after engineers have reviewed images and telemetry data from the
spacecraft showing that the biobarrier material has been cleared.
The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf
of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA's Jet Propulsion
Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin
Space Systems, Denver.
