NASA Hopes 'Phoenix' Rises From Ashes Of Past Mars Failures | Aero-News Network
Aero-News Network
RSS icon RSS feed
podcast icon MP3 podcast
Subscribe Aero-News e-mail Newsletter Subscribe

Airborne Unlimited -- Most Recent Daily Episodes

Episode Date

Airborne-Monday

Airborne-Tuesday

Airborne-Wednesday Airborne-Thursday

Airborne-Friday

Airborne On YouTube

Airborne-Unlimited-04.22.24

Airborne-Unlimited-04.16.24

Airborne-FlightTraining-04.17.24 Airborne-AffordableFlyers-04.18.24

Airborne-Unlimited-04.19.24

Join Us At 0900ET, Friday, 4/10, for the LIVE Morning Brief.
Watch It LIVE at
www.airborne-live.net

Thu, May 03, 2007

NASA Hopes 'Phoenix' Rises From Ashes Of Past Mars Failures

Third Probe Set For August Launch

The University of Arizona in Tucson is preparing to launch a Mars probe in August, from NASA's Kennedy Space Center... and the craft will have much to prove. Mars missions have held more than their share of disappointments lately.

The $386 million mission will attempt to drill the surface of the Martian polar region, looking for signs of water and life. First, however, it must complete a successful launch... and survive its 10-month journey to the red planet.

Then, it must land and avoid shutting off its rocket engines 130 feet above the ground, like 1999's Mars Polar Lander did. The resulting crash destroyed that probe, and halted NASA's 2001 Mars Surveyor program.

In the hopes the new probe will be a success, it has been named Phoenix... after the mythical bird which dies in a fire, but is reborn from the ashes. But there will be nothing hot about the existence of this Phoenix.

NASA states the polar ice caps of Mars are so cold they're actually made of dry ice, or frozen carbon dioxide. Phoenix is expected to operate for about five months before it succumbs to temperatures of minus 120 degrees Fahrenheit.

Phoenix is scheduled to blast off August 3... six years later than originally planned.

FMI: www.nasa.gov/missions/solarsystem/phoenix_water.html

Advertisement

More News

Airborne 04.16.24: RV Update, Affordable Flying Expo, Diamond Lil

Also: B-29 Superfortress Reunion, FAA Wants Controllers, Spirit Airlines Pulls Back, Gogo Galileo Van's Aircraft posted a short video recapping the goings-on around their reorganiz>[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Term (04.20.24): Light Gun

Light Gun A handheld directional light signaling device which emits a brilliant narrow beam of white, green, or red light as selected by the tower controller. The color and type of>[...]

Aero-News: Quote of the Day (04.20.24)

"The journey to this achievement started nearly a decade ago when a freshly commissioned Gentry, driven by a fascination with new technologies and a desire to contribute significan>[...]

Aero-News: Quote of the Day (04.21.24)

"Our driven and innovative team of military and civilian Airmen delivers combat power daily, ensuring our nation is ready today and tomorrow." Source: General Duke Richardson, AFMC>[...]

ANN's Daily Aero-Term (04.21.24): Aircraft Conflict

Aircraft Conflict Predicted conflict, within EDST of two aircraft, or between aircraft and airspace. A Red alert is used for conflicts when the predicted minimum separation is 5 na>[...]

blog comments powered by Disqus



Advertisement

Advertisement

Podcasts

Advertisement

© 2007 - 2024 Web Development & Design by Pauli Systems, LC