Image with Arrow
Scientists are anticipating clear skies when NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander
arrives on the north polar plains of the Red Planet Sunday, May 25, 2008.
This orbital view of the north polar region of Mars, where NASA's Phoenix
Mars Lander will land, shows clear skies as of May 22, 2008. Mission
planners are always on the lookout for dust storms in daily weather
updates like this one, provided by the Mars Color Imager on NASA's Mars
Reconnaissance Orbiter. Based on current conditions, they are predicting
good weather when Phoenix arrives May 25, 2008.
Temperature profiles, used to calculate atmospheric density, are also
updated on a regular basis, provided by the Mars Climate Sounder, another
instrument on the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Atmospheric density was
well within expectations as of May 22, 2008. Mission planners will
continue to receive updates on weather and atmospheric conditions prior to
landing.
The animated orbital view shows recent weather conditions from May 16 to
May 22, 2008, as tracked by the Mars Color Imager on NASA's Mars
Reconnaissance Orbiter. A cloud of dust kicked up by Martian winds
traveled from west to east between May 19 and May 22, 2008, passing over
Phoenix's landing site. The dust cloud was about 500 kilometers (300
miles) from head to tail and made the skies somewhat hazy. Since then, the
dust has been replaced by clear skies, indicating that Phoenix will not
land in any dust clouds, which are a common occurrence in the northern
latitudes of Mars.
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.
