Analysis of Phoenix Mars Mission - Essay Example

?First & Semester: Email Address: SID Section (e.g. TR 11 HW3 HW4 FINAL Requirements Approved Topic   Cover page   Abstract   Detailed Outline T.O.C. T.O.C   Proposal (500 words ~1 pg.) Full paper (3000 words ~10 pg.) Full paper (3000 words ~10 pg.)   References (min 5) References (min 5) References (min 5)     Hw3 attached Hw3 attached       Hw4 attached Contents and Organization:       Purpose clearly stated       Logical flow       Contents       Titles and subtitles before sections N/A     Supporting Material       Appropriate refs.       Refs. Cited in text N/A     Language       Spelling       Grammar       Comments     Grade /10 /10 /15 Table Of Contents Outline………………………………………………………………………………….. 4 Proposal………………………………………………………………………………….. 5 Phoenix Mars Mission………………………………………………………………… 7 A Short Profile Objectives of The Mission……………………………………………………………… 8 Study the history of water by examining water-ice below the Martian surface Determining whether Martian arctic soil could support life Study Martian weather from a polar perspective Preparations before Launching………………………………………………………… 10 Communications……………………………………………………………………….. 11 Command and Data Handling………………………………………………………….. 13 About the Landing Site…………………………………………………………………. 15 Phases of Mission………………………………………………………………………. 16 Development Launch Cruise Entry, Descent and Landing On Mars………………………………………………………………………………….19 Results………………………………………………………………………………….. 20 Title: Name: SID: Section: Outline Introduction: This portion will introduce the general information of topic of the research. Section 1: Provides a profile of the Phoenix Mars Mission Section 2: Describes the objectives of the mission Section 3: Illustrates the preparation before the launch Section 4: Describes the concept of planetary protection Section 5: Explicates the processes of guidance, navigation and control Section 6: Describes the landing site Section 7: Explicates the different phases of the mission such as development, launch, cruise, entry, descend and landing Section 8: Describes the situation on reaching Mars Sections: Explicates on the results Proposal The Phoenix Mars Scout Lander is the pioneer robotic explorer of National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), which was launched in August 2007 and landed in Mars in May 2008 to perform “in-situ and remote sensing investigations” for evaluating the “biological potential of Mars” (Garcia & Fujii 1). This will enable humans to understand the planet better and to further explore the possibility of life to exist there. Thus, this will be an interesting project to research and gain more knowledge about. This research will be based on purely on a review of the existing literature on the topic, especially those published by the NASA and other credible organizations working on the field of aeronautics and related sciences. The researcher will focus on obtaining most recent and relevant information relating to the topic from reliable sources. On the basis of the information gleaned from such reliable sources the researcher will draw relevant findings and conclusion. Student’s Name: Professor’s Name: Subject: 10 October 2013 Phoenix Mars Mission Among the planets in the solar system, Mars is one of the five main planets that has been under study since ancient times. It is yellowish brown to red in color, and is considered as the Roman god of war, agriculture and the state. Sometimes it is observed to be the third brightest object, just after Moon and Venus. It is much lighter than earth with respect to diameter, surface area, mass, density etc. The question of whether life exists on Mars is something that has baffled scientists for several decades. In response to this, a new mission named Phoenix was launched in August, 2007, to study the habitability potential of Mars. This project thus becomes the first among NASA’s “Scout Program.” As NASA officials comment, “Phoenix was designed to study the history of water and search for complex organic molecules in the ice-rich soil of the Martian arctic and it inherits a highly capable spacecraft built for the Mars Surveyor Program 2001 (MSP ’01) Lander, as well as scientific instruments from the Mars Polar Lander (MPL)”. Being a cold planet as well as possessing the features of a desert, Mars has no liquid water on its surface. Nevertheless, discoveries were made by the Mars Odyssey Orbiter in 2002 evidencing large amounts of subsurface water-ice in the northern arctic plains of the planet. The present Phoenix Lander also targeted this same region. The plan was to use a robotic arm for digging through the protective top soil layer to the water-ice below and finally to bring samples of both soil and water-ice to the Lander platform, so that scientific analysis could be carried out. This mission was under the leadership of Peter H. Smith, University of Arizona and was supported by the science team of CO-Is, while project management was taken care at NASA’s propulsion laboratory. Development partnership was acquired with Lockheed Martin Space Systems. International institutions such as Canadian Space Agency, University of Neuchatel, Switzerland, University of Copenhagen, University of Aarhus, Denmark, Max Plank Institute, Germany, the Finnish Meteorological Institute etc also contributed to the mission. This was the first mission to mars under the leadership of an academic institute. Phoenix Mars Mission: A Short Profile: The Phoenix Mars Lander was the first mission to explore the Arctic region of Mars at ground level and this mission marked the first time that Canada, as a nation, landed on the surface of Mars. It was launched from “the Kennedy Space Centre aboard a Delta II rocket at 5:26 a.m. EDT on August 4, 2007. It landed near Mars' northern polar cap on May 25, 2008 in an area known as Vastitas Borealis, where it continued to operate successfully for more than five months.” The Near-surface atmospheric temperatures at landing site during the primary mission were 73°C to -33°C. The landing site was near Mars's northern polar cap in an area known as Vastitas Borealis. During the time of landing, the distance between Earth and Mars was 276 million kilo meters and it took 15.3 minutes for transiting one-way radio from Mars to Earth. The distance travelled is estimated to be about 680 million kilo meters. The mission actually lasted for five months, though it was Planned for 90 Martian days, or "sols.” A 2.35-metre robotic arm was used to dig samples of the Martian soil for analysis in its on-board laboratory. The Lander weighed 350 kg (772 pounds) and it works by using power from solar panels and lithium-ion batteries. The weight of the science payload was 55 kilograms which also included robotic arm and camera, surface stereoscopic imager, thermal and evolved-gas analyzer, microscopy, electrochemistry and conductivity analyzer, Mars descent imager and Canadian meteorological station. The height of the top of meteorology mast was 2.2 metres whereas the span of deployed solar arrays was 5.52 metres. The deck diameter was 1.5 metres and the length of robotic arm was 2.35 metres. The vehicle used was Delta II 7925 (three-stage) which had 39.6 meters height when measured along with the payload. Mass fully fuelled was calculated to be 231,126 kilograms. The Overall cost of the mission was US$420 million, including development, science instruments, launch and operations. Out of this, CDN$ 37 million was Canada's contribution and it was used for the design, building, operations and scientific support. Objectives of the Mission: In the ancient Greek mythology, the bird phoenix stands for long life and the bird was cyclically regenerated in the story. Similarly the Mars mission was also reborn out of fire. The present mission was created from the remains of previous Mars endeavors. This mission has used many components of two unsuccessful missions; MPL and MSP ’01. With no liquid water on surface, today, Mars is a cold, dry world with a thin, carbon-dioxide atmosphere. Evidence suggests that Mars was different in the past. There are research findings, which makes one believe that liquid water once flowed on Mars. The Channels in Mars connecting high and low areas convinces most scientists that water eroded these channels long back. Gullies are another geological feature providing evidence of past liquid water on Mars. In the present world, scientists are actively debating on the formation of these gullies. One idea suggests that liquid water, flowing underneath a protective layer of snow, may form Martian gullies similar to those on Earth. No evidence exists of liquid water currently flowing on the surface, but it has been found out that water in its liquid form once existed in the surface of this cold planet. Hence phoenix will try to examine the following: • Study the history of water by examining water-ice below the Martian surface: Liquid water is not available on the surface of Mars. But evidence from Mars Global Surveyor, Odyssey, and Exploration Rover missions suggest that water once flowed in canyons and persisted in shallow lakes billions of years ago. In this context, the present Phoenix Mission will look into the history of liquid water that may have existed in the arctic as many as 100,000 years ago. Scientists can understand the history of Martian arctic by digging into the soil and water-ice just below the surface and analyzing the chemistry of the soil and ice with robust instruments. • Determining whether Martian arctic soil could support life: There are studies showing that life can exist in the most extreme conditions. Certain bacterial spores lie dormant in bitterly cold, dry, and airless conditions for millions of years and become active once the conditions becomes favorable. Such dormant microbial colonies may exist in the Martian arctic as well. After 100,000 years, the soil environment is believed to be favorable for life. The mission will explore the habitability of the Martian environment by assessing the soil’s composition of life-giving elements including carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, and hydrogen. Looking for organic life signatures, Phoenix will also dig into the soil protected from harmful solar radiation. • Study Martian weather from a polar perspective: The amount of water vapour in the thin atmosphere varies in Mars’ polar regions, significantly from season to season. As studies show, winds carrying water vapour can move water from place to place on the planet. This understanding of the processes is based on observations from orbit and limited meteorological observations from earlier Mars Lander’s closer to the equator. Hence categorized tools will be employed to directly monitor several weather variables in the lower atmosphere at any given arctic site. Preparations before Launching: Before launching phoenix, various preparations were made concerning the spacecraft as well as its controlling mechanism. The following section will describe the preparations at various levels. Space Craft: It was planned to equip space craft with the systems to communicate to the Lander during transit from Earth and to deliver it safely to the surface of Mars. The Lander vehicle’s main structure was built for the Mars Surveyor 2001 program and then it was kept in a protective, controlled environment after cancelling the Lander portion of the program. Sufficient modifications have been made to the inherited Lander. Some were to meet return-to-flight recommendations from review of Mars mission failures in 1999, while others were to adapt to the specific goals and plans for the Phoenix mission. Major features of the Phoenix spacecraft include propulsion, power, command and data handling, telecommunications, navigation, thermal control and flight software.Propulsion: Nearly the entire shove that propels Phoenix to Mars comes from the launch vehicle. Hence thrusters were used to adjust its trajectory. It was important to control its orientation and to slow its final descent to the surface of Mars. Hydrazine and a propellant without oxygen source were used in these thrusters. Twelve thrusters mounted around the bottom edge of the Lander aimed to slow the descent during the last half-minute before the legs of the Lander touch the surface. Eight smaller thrusters were also used during the cruise phase of the mission while the Lander was enclosed in a protective aero shell. Though they possessed cutaways in the back shell, these eight thrusters were mounted on the Lander. Four thrusters were to be used during the six trajectory correction maneuvers during cruise. These trajectory correction thrusters each have the capacity to deliver about 3.5 pounds of force. The other four were used to change the spacecraft’s orientation, or “attitude,” such as for pivoting the spacecraft so the heat shield faces forward during entry into Mars’ atmosphere. Their thrust capacity is about 1 pound a piece. Electric Power: The electric power, while on the surface of Mars, has to come from a two-wing solar array converting solar radiation to electricity. The array’s shape was that of two nearly circular decagons extending from opposite sides of the Lander, with a total of 4.2 square meters of functional surface area on flexible, lightweight substrate. Power storage is kept on the pair of rechargeable 25-amp-hour lithium-ion batteries. The spacecraft’s cruise stage carries its own solar array to keep the Lander’s array folded inside the aero shell until Phoenix reaches Mars. Communications: Like other NASA missions, the phoenix also relied on Deep Space Network to track and communicate with the spacecraft. The network had groups of antennas at three locations. These locations included Goldstone in California’s Mojave Desert, near Madrid, Spain, and in Canberra, Australia. These locations were about one-third of the way around the world from each other. This was planned in such a way that in spite of the day differences on earth, at least one of the locations will have the spacecraft in view. Each communication location had one antenna 70 meters (230 feet) in diameter, at least two antennas 34 meters (112 feet) in diameter as well as other smaller antennas. All three locations communicated directly with the control hub at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, California. The plan was to facilitate the communication of phoenix directly to earth using an X-band portion of the radio spectrum throughout the cruise phase of the mission and mainly for its initial communication also. Ultra High Frequency radio band was the communication mode prepared to communicate from Mars. It was decided that the communications to and from Earth will be relayed by Mars orbiters. NASA’s Mars Odyssey orbiter and Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter were identified as the main relay assets for Phoenix. The system is also compatible with relay capabilities of the European Space Agency’s Mars Express orbiter. “A helical UHF antenna mounted on the Lander deck will send and receive all communications starting with the final half-minute of descent. The helical antenna and a monopole UHF antenna, also mounted on the deck, will be used for relay telecommunications during the months of operation after landing. The Lander can send data at rates of 8,000 bits per second, 32,000 bits per second or 128,000 bits per second.” The UHF telecommunications subsystem also included a wrap-around UHF antenna on the back shell. This antenna was entrusted to handle communications during the release of cruise stage, five minutes before landing and ending. In the journey from earth to Mars, a different set of communications equipment was used in order to communicate directly with Earth in radio’s X band. A medium-gain X-band antenna mounted on the cruise stage can both transmit and receive signals. Two low-gain antennas provide backup redundancy, of which one is to transmit and the other is to receive. The redundancy also extends to a pair of transponders and a pair of amplifiers. In X-band, Phoenix will be able to transmit at data rates up to 2,100 bits per second and to receive data at up to 2,000 bits per second. Data transmission is most difficult during the critical sequence of entry, descent and landing activities. But communication from the spacecraft is required during this period in order to diagnose any potential problems that may occur. An antenna on the back shell will transmit during entry and descent. Another, on the Lander deck, will transmit and receive during the final moments of descent and throughout the surface operations phase of the mission. Command and Data Handling: Command and data handling sub system focused on controlling the spacecraft’s computing functions. RAD6000 microprocessor was the major element of this subsystem. The RAD6000 can operate at three speeds: 5 million, 10 million or 20 million clock cycles per second. Apart from this, computer memory available to the command and data handling subsystem include more than 74 megabytes of dynamic random access memory, plus flash memory, which allow the system to maintain data even without power. Planetary Protection: To study the environment conducive to life in Mars, precautions for avoiding the introduction of microbes from Earth is needed. The Phoenix flight hardware has been designed in compliance with the treaty and NASA regulations so as to meet planetary protection requirements. The primary strategy for preventing contamination of Mars with Earth organisms is to have the assurance that all hardware going to the planet is clean. The exposed interior and exterior surfaces of the Lander system were one of the major requirements and it included the Lander, parachute and back shell. The requirement was that it must not carry a total number of bacterial spores greater than 300,000, with the average spore density not more than 300 spores per square meter. This is to ensure that biological load is not concentrated in one place. Consistent with the higher cleanliness standards for subsurface contact, the robotic arm was developed following the strict cleanliness requirements than the rest of the Lander. The most distinctive feature of planetary protection on Phoenix is that the bio barrier sealing of the robotic arm was constructed out of a film which holds till baking like a turkey basting bag. The arm inside the bio-barrier was sealed before beginning the heat treatment so as to reduce spores on the arm. The film is Tedlar, a trademarked polyvinyl fluoride material with commercial uses ranging from durable surfaces of airline cabin furnishings to backing sheets for photovoltaic panels. Preparations were also made to support the bio-barrier film by a skeleton of spring-loaded, aluminum-tube ribs. This was to maintain its shape. It was also necessary to make sure that the phoenix doesn’t transport Earth life to Mars. This was to block the passage of any hardware below the cleanliness standards to Mars. When the Delta launch vehicle’s third stage separates from the spacecraft, the two objects would travel on nearly identical trajectories. To prevent the possibility of the third stage hitting Mars was deliberately set so that the spacecraft would miss Mars at least 6 days later if not for its first trajectory correction maneuver. Guidance, Navigation and Control: A star tracker and pair of sun sensors mounted on the cruise stage planned to keep the orientation of phoenix towards Mars. Similar type was used in Mars Odyssey, a camera that takes the pictures of the sky and has computer power to facilitate the comparison of the images with a catalogue of star positions and also to make recognition of sky possible. In its descent through Mar’s atmosphere, the spacecraft’s knowledge of its movement and position will come from some inertial measurement units and these are capable of sensing changes in velocity. Every measurement unit contains accelerometers to measure changes in the spacecraft’s velocity in any direction, and also ring-laser gyroscopes to measure the speed while spacecraft’s changes its orientation. About the Landing Site: It is important to have an idea about the landing site and its selection before moving on to the phases of mission. As Garcia and Fuji point out, phoenix was capable of landing on any location in mars, in a latitude band between 65°N and 72°N. The landing site selection was almost the same for Mars Exploration Rover Missions.” In depth planning was done for the site selection process and a proper schedule of landing site activities were prepared. These preparations included landing site workshops as well. From the first Landing Site Workshop (LSWS) in December 2004, a single landing Region stood out as the ideal location. It was “20° longitude by 7° latitude. “This region appeared to have a low rock abundance, very low elevations, and, more importantly, relatively large amounts of soil (Dry Layer Thickness) over ice. Sites in this “Region B” were chosen for the initial imaging campaign of the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) on MRO. After the implications of these initial images started sinking in, plans to image strategically in other areas within the latitude band were quickly made. The data from THEMIS instrument on odyssey was reassessed using HIRISE results as ground truth.” It was revealed that Regions A and D had less rock abundance than Region B. Further two week observation cycle on MRO following solar conjunction comprised numerous Phoenix landing site imaging requests. After the first couple of cycles, requests for more widely spread HiRISE images throughout Regions A and D followed. When the correlation to THEMIS got tighter, three new safe landing areas were identified. Following Landing Site Workshop 5 in January 2007, these three boxes were reconfirmed as “safe havens” for landing, with Box 1 taking the lead as the final landing site location. Phases of the Mission: Development: Spacecraft assembly was done in Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Littleton, Colorado. Incorporating all the subsystems onto the Lander's structure was the first step in the assembly process. Science instruments were then installed onto the Lander deck and electrically integrated to the spacecraft. Software codes that operate these subsystems and instruments for remote operations were also incorporated. Testing to ensure proper operation of all the subsystems, scientific instruments, and software were carried out during the assembly step. Assembly and initial performance testing were conducted from April to October 2006. During the period of November 2006 to March 2007, the Lander was shaken, baked, frozen, zapped, and asphyxiated to assure that the entire system can survive in expected environmental conditions. Giving the support of protective capsule and bolted to a large speaker coil, Phoenix was bombarded with strong sound vibrations simulating extreme launch stresses. The thermal and vacuum test helped to lay the spacecraft bare to a severe cold and airless environment similar to that of the outer space. The spacecraft was then pelted with electromagnetic radiation to simulate the exposed conditions of outer space and the Martian surface, where there is no atmosphere to protect the spacecraft from the Sun's energetics. The mission has also undergone a series of tests to ensure that the spacecraft properly transforms from rocket passenger to deep space traveler to Martian surface dweller. These include practice jettisons of the cruise solar panels, aero shell, and capsule top, as well as deployments of the parachute, legs, and science instruments etc. While the spacecraft was being assembled in Colorado, a parallel test effort was performed at the Phoenix Science Operations (SOC) Center, Tucson, Arizona. The SOC hosted the Payload Interoperability Test-bed (PIT), a full mock up of the Lander on the surface of Mars. The PIT featured the ability to test the landed operation sequences for digging and sample delivery to the science instruments under many different types of soil compositions and densities (hard ice through loose sand). This provided a detailed data on the digging rate, energy, time, and amount of sample that can be expected in various soil conditions that can be seen on the surface of Mars. On May 2007, Phoenix had undergone final assembly and shipment to Kennedy Space Center. At the cape, the spacecraft underwent its final checkout, explosives used to support jettisons were loaded, and hydrazine propellant was pumped into the fuel tanks. The spacecraft was then mated to the upper stage of the Delta II launch vehicle and was ready to be launched on August 2007. Launch: Powered by a Boeing Delta II 7925 launch vehicle, Phoenix began its mission within a 22 day launch window in the August of 2007. The launch took place at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. This delta vehicle was chosen due to its successful launch history. Several previous space exploration missions have used Delta II 7925, including the Spirit and Opportunity Mars Rovers launched in 2003. The launch vehicle weighed 285,228 kilograms (628,820 pounds). Getting this weight off the ground was no easy feat. A Rocketdyne RS-27A engine was used in combination with nine strap-on rocket motors. The RS-27A is capable of producing 890,000 Newtons (200,000 pounds) of thrust. After the launch, Phoenix was expected to perform various manoeuvres to make the transition to the cruise stage. Cruise: The cruise phase lasted for approximately 10 months. During the cruise phase, the spacecraft verified the health of its scientific instruments and performs trajectory correction maneuvers (TCMs). The Deep Space Network was used to communicate with the spacecraft. To keep Phoenix on track to its landing area, up to six trajectory correction maneuvers were planned. The massive antennas of the DSN were also used to obtain information about the spacecraft's flight path. The initial launch trajectory was intentionally pointed away from Mars so that the jettisoned third stage from the launch vehicle does not impact Mars. The first TCM, performed just 10 days after launch, places the spacecraft on a trajectory towards Mars. The subsequent five minutes before Phoenix enters the Martian atmosphere, the cruise stage is jettisoned. Enough planning was taken place in respect of TCM, though errors occurred. They were planned to take place much later in cruise phase to correct small errors in the first TCM. These errors come from a multitude of sources, including imperfections in the flight model and slight inaccuracies in the DSN measurements. During the last two weeks before Phoenix enters the Martian atmosphere, the DSN tracked the spacecraft even closer than before. Two TCMs were scheduled to be performed within the last three days. Just before entry, flight path data is sent to Phoenix that is used by the onboard computers during the descent and landing to guide the spacecraft to its landing site. The cruise assembly, which consists of solar panels and other components that are only necessary for the cruise phase of the journey, is jettisoned five minutes prior to entry. Entry, Descent, and Landing: At 125 km (78 miles) above the surface, Phoenix has entered the thin Martian atmosphere. A heat shield was used to protect the Lander from the extreme temperatures generated during entry. Antennas were located on the back of the shell. It was used to communicate with one of three spacecraft currently orbiting Mars. These orbiters relied on signals and landing information to Earth. After the Lander has decelerated to Mach 1.7 (1.7 times the speed of sound), the parachute is deployed. Shortly after the parachute is deployed, the heat shield was jettisoned, the landing radar is activated, and the Lander legs are extended. The Lander continued through the Martian atmosphere until it comes within 1 km (.6 miles) of the Martian surface. At this point, the Lander separated itself from the parachute. It then throttles up its landing thrusters and decelerates. The Lander then glided towards Mars just after its parachute was deployed. On Mars: Surface operations were planned in relation to the days in Mars. The planet Mars rotates slightly slower than Earth. A strategic plan was developed which outlines the operations of two weeks into the future. This strategic plan was then used to create a more detailed tactical plan . This helped in deciding surface activities of future days. Daily science and engineering data was used to assess the status of the strategic and tactical plans, and the plans are updated as necessary. The landing system on Phoenix allowed the spacecraft to touch down within 10 km (6.2 miles) of the targeted landing area. Thrusters were started when the Lander is 570 m above the surface. The navigation system was capable of detecting and avoiding hazards on the surface of Mars. When the Phoenix touched the surface of Mars, critical instruments such as the solar arrays and SSI mast were deployed. Later in the afternoon EDL data and MARDI images were sent to Earth. The movements were recorded correspondingly. The Phoenix Lander began to shut down operations during winter. The digging operations phase was planned later in 10-90 days. SSI and RAC images were analyzed to determine where the RA should dig. Phoenix has dug up to 2.5 hours per sol during this period. As the RA digs into the Martian surface, SSI and RAC images helped in determining new samples which should be delivered to the scientific instruments on Phoenix. The four MECA cells has been reserved for samples from different layers that are expected to be encountered while digging. One cell analyzed a sample from the surface, another analyzed the dry regolith overburden, and one was kept in reserve for the icy layer. Another one MECA cell has been kept for a repeat measurement or to examine another layer. Results: Discussing the results, it verified the presence of water-ice in the Martian subsurface, which NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter first detected remotely in 2002. It verified the presence of water-ice in the Martian subsurface, which NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter first detected remotely in 2002. Phoenix's cameras also returned more than 25,000 pictures from sweeping vistas to near the atomic level using the first atomic force microscope ever used outside Earth. One of the chief finding was that the materials were sprinkled from several centimetres height to break up cloddy soils on impact with instrument portals. Excavations were done on the side of the Humpty Dumpty and the top of the Wonderland polygons, and in nearby troughs. It was found that the soils above the 3–5 cm deep icy soil interfaces are stronger with increasing depth. The soils were similar in appearance and properties to the weakly cohesive crusty and cloddy soils imaged and excavated by the Viking Lander 2, which also landed on the northern plains. The weather station measured Mars' temperature and pressure, and probed clouds, fog and dust in Mars' lower atmosphere. Most significantly, the weather station's lidar instrument confirmed that it snows on Mars by detecting snowflakes falling from clouds about 4 kilo meters above the spacecraft's landing site.“It was found that the liquid water has primarily existed at temperatures near freezing, implying hydrothermal systems similar to Yellowstone's hot springs on Earth have been rare on Mars throughout its history. These surprising results come from measurements Phoenix made in 2008 of stable isotopes of carbon and oxygen in the carbon dioxide of the Martian atmosphere”. Carbon dioxide was found in the Martian atmosphere. Further analysis revealed that carbon dioxide on Mars has proportions of carbon and oxygen isotopes similar to carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere. Supporting evidence were found to state that the watery conditions associated with carbonate formation have continued even under Mars' current cold and dry conditions. Phoenix's cameras were also returned with more than 25,000 pictures from sweeping vistas to near the atomic level using the first atomic force microscope ever used outside Earth. The preliminary accomplishments have advanced the goal of studying whether the Martian arctic environment has ever been favorable for microbes. Additional findings comprising documenting a mildly alkaline soil environment unlike any found by earlier Mars missions; finding small concentrations of salts that could be nutrients for life; discovering perchlorate salt, which has implications for ice and soil properties; and finding calcium carbonate, a marker of effects of liquid water. Works Cited Arvidson, R E. "Mars Phoenix Lander: Robotic Arm experiment." Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets 114.1 (2009): n. pag. Web. 7 Oct. 2013. . Garcia, Mark D., and Fujii, Kenneth K. "Mission Design Overview for the Phoenix Mars Scout Mission." Web. . "Mission Profile - Canadian Space Agency." Canadian Space Agency website. N.p., 2007. Web. 7 Oct. 2013. . NASA. "Phoenix Landing: Mission to the Martian Polar North." (2008): Web. 7 Oct. 2013. . NASA. "Phoenix Launch: Mission to the Martian Polar North." NASA (2007): n. pag. Web. 7 Oct. 2013. . National Aeronautics and Space Administration. "Phoenix Mars Mission." 1-4. Web. 7 Oct. 2013. . Smith, Peter H. "Phoenix Mars Mission." Phoenix Mars Lander Is Silent, New Image Shows Damage. N.p., n.d. Web. 7 Oct. 2013. . Stolte, Daniel. "Phoenix Mars Lander Finds Surprises about Planet’s Watery Past."UANews. University of Arizona, 2010. Web. 7 Oct. 2013. . Read More