Mars Phoenix Lander

Mars Phoenix Lander Post Landing Briefing
http://www.space-multimedia.nl.eu.or...703&Ite mid=2

Mars Phoenix Lander Briefing - First Downlink of Data
http://www.space-multimedia.nl.eu.or...702&Ite mid=2

Mars Phoenix Lander Landing Coverage
http://www.space-multimedia.nl.eu.or...701&Ite mid=2

The neat NASA animations provided to the media shows how rockets slowled
the ship down prior to landing.

Out of curiosity, doesn't that contaminate the soil all around the
landing side and kill off all life with the fire/heat of the rockets ?

How do they mitigate this problem ?

John Doe wrote in news:483b242f$0$31242$c3e8da3
@news.astraweb.com:

The neat NASA animations provided to the media shows how rockets slowled
the ship down prior to landing.

Out of curiosity, doesn't that contaminate the soil all around the
landing side and kill off all life with the fire/heat of the rockets ?

How do they mitigate this problem ?


The thrusters cut off a few meters above the ground, which helps to
minimize the contamination. The low Martian gravity means the terminal
velocity isn't all that great and the legs take up the impact.

A future mission will have the lander descend on a hovering platform,
lowered by a winch. The platform will translate a distance away
before setting down/impacting.

--Damon

Damon Hill wrote:
A future mission will have the lander descend on a hovering platform,
lowered by a winch. The platform will translate a distance away
before setting down/impacting.

The Great Martian Ghoul is looking forwards to having that mission for lunch!

But isn't that mission the big rover (humvee version of MER)? So
contamination isn't much of an issue since it can just drive away. Landing on
a boulder is that mission's concern.

Glen Overby

"John" wrote in message
...

Mars Phoenix Lander Post Landing Briefing
http://www.space-multimedia.nl.eu.or...703&Ite mid=2

Mars Phoenix Lander Briefing - First Downlink of Data
http://www.space-multimedia.nl.eu.or...702&Ite mid=2

Mars Phoenix Lander Landing Coverage
http://www.space-multimedia.nl.eu.or...701&Ite mid=2


NASA's Mars Phoenix Lander can be seen parachuting down to Mars, in this
image captured by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE)
camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/ph...HX_Lander.html

"Jeff Findley" wrote in message
...


NASA's Mars Phoenix Lander can be seen parachuting down to Mars, in this
image captured by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE)
camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/ph...HX_Lander.html


That is totally freaking AWSOME!!!