Phoenix (spacecraft) facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Phoenix Lander small

Phoenix was a robotic spacecraft on a space exploration mission on Mars to search water and life there under the Mars Scout Program.It was launched from Florida on 4 Aug 2007 and landed safely on Mars on 25 May 2008.

Mission scientists used instruments aboard the lander to search for environments suitable for microbial life on Mars, and to research the history of water there.

The mission ended on November 10, 2008.

Flybys

Mariner 4 · 6 · 7 · Mars 4 · Rosetta · Dawn
Mars transparent.png
Orbiters

Mariner 9 · Mars 2 · 3 · 5 · Viking 1 · 2 · Fobos 2  · Mars Global Surveyor · 2001 Mars Odyssey · Mars Express · Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter  · Phobos-Grunt  · Yinghuo-1
Landers

Mars 3 · Viking 1 · Viking 2 · Mars Pathfinder · Phoenix  · Mars Science Laboratory  · Phobos-Grunt (lander targets Mars's moon Phobos)
Rovers

Sojourner · Mars Exploration Rovers (Spirit · Opportunity) · Curiosity rover
Planned missions
MAVEN (2013) · ExoMars static lander and rover (2016) · ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (2016) · MarsNet-MetNet (2017-2023) · Astrobiology Field Laboratory (2016) · Mars-Aster (2018) · Mars sample return mission (2018) · Mars-Grunt (2020) · Northern Light · Chinese · Indian
Unplanned missions

Manned mission

Related topics

Exploration · Colonization · Failed Mars missions · Mars Scout Program
Bold italics indicate active missions

Images for kids

  • 070802 phoenix lab 02

    A labeled look at NASA's Phoenix Mars lander.

  • Phoenix Mars Lander in testing PIA01885

    Phoenix during testing in September 2006

  • Sojourner, MER, Phoenix lander, and Curiosity comparisons, in Metric units

    A comparison of sizes for the Sojourner rover, the Mars Exploration Rovers, the Phoenix lander and the Mars Science Laboratory.

  • Phoenix mission horizon stitched high definition

    Approximate-color photomosaic of cryoturbation polygons due to the Martian permafrost.

  • Phoenix Mars Lander

    Phoenix Mars Lander being worked on by NASA engineers. The planned Operational Life of the Phoenix Lander is 90 Martian days. Each Martian day is 40 minutes longer than an Earth Day.

  • Arm Stowed

    The robotic digging arm. Left: at landing, with covering in place. Right: the next day, with covering pushed aside.

  • 181451main surface stereo imager-hires

    Surface Stereo Imager (SSI) built by the University of Arizona.

  • 183833main wb1-tega-hires

    Thermal and Evolved Gas Analyzer (TEGA).

  • 181445main mardi-hires

    Mars Descent Imager built by Malin Space Science Systems.

  • A prototype wet chemistry beaker

    A prototype wet chemistry beaker showing some of the electrochemistry sensors on the sides of the beaker.

  • Phoenix wet chemistry lab

    Illustration of how the wet chemistry lab onboard Phoenix mixes a Martian soil sample with water

  • Phoenix thermal and electrical conductivity probe

    The Thermal and Electrical Conductivity Probe (TECP) with four metal sensing needles mounted in a plastic head.

  • 181448main met-hires

    Meteorological Station (MET) built by the Canadian Space Agency.

  • Phoenix MET telltale Sol 2 cropped part gamma 4.01

    Phoenix deployed and then imaged the MET weather mast that holds the wind-strength and direction-measuring telltale at a height of 2.3 m. This enhanced image shows wind from the northeast on Sol 3.

  • 279902main Temperature SD

    Plot of the minimum daily temperature measured by Phoenix

  • Lidar open

    First operation of LIDAR on Mars; telescope (black tube) and laser window (smaller opening in fore-ground) can be seen.

  • Sol 004 lidar

    Contour plot of second LIDAR operation. The colors show evolution of dust passing overhead with time (Orange=more dust, Blue=less dust)

  • Phoenix Lidar Laser Movie

    Lidar operating (thin vertical beam at center right).

  • Phoenix mini-DVD on Mars

    The "Phoenix DVD" on Mars.

  • PIA10775 First trenches dug by Phoenix

    The first two trenches dug by Phoenix in Martian soil. The trench on the right, informally called "Baby Bear", is the source of the first samples delivered to the onboard TEGA and the optical microscope for analysis.

  • Ice sublimating in the Dodo-Goldilocks trench

    Die-sized clumps of bright material in the enlarged "Dodo-Goldilocks" trench vanished over the course of four days, implying that they were composed of ice which sublimated following exposure.

  • Evaporating ice on Mars Phoenix lander image

    Color versions of the photos showing ice sublimation, with the lower left corner of the trench enlarged in the insets in the upper right of the images.

  • Phoenix mission landing

    Phoenix footpad image, taken over 15 minutes after landing to ensure any dust stirred up had settled.

  • Phoenix Sol1 pic3

    One of the first surface images from Phoenix.

  • PIA10741 Possible Ice Below Phoenix

    View underneath lander towards south foot pad, showing patchy exposures of a bright surface, possibly ice.


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