Phoenix Mars Mission 2008

Washington University in St. Louis faculty, staff and students are making critical contributions to Mars-related and space exploration projects, including the Phoenix Mission to Mars, which landed on the Red Planet's northern plains on May 25, 2008.

Arvidson

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Raymond E. Arvidson, Ph.D., the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor and chair of the earth and planetary sciences department in Arts & Sciences, has several key roles in the mission. They include chair of the Phoenix landing site working group, co-investigator for the Phoenix robotic arm, lead for archiving mission data and key science lead for the first week of surface operations.

Four WUSTL students also are involved in mission operations, including one student who helped select the landing site.

Mission Update — Team members investigate the mystery of Martian soil.

Visit this page and click on the icons below for the latest on WUSTL's involvement in the Phoenix Mission.

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WUSTL undergraduates working with NASA on Mars Exploration

For many undergraduates, the idea of determining the landing site for a Mars Rover or taking pictures with its robotic arm is something from a science fiction movie. But Ray Arvidson has made it a reality for some students.

WUSTL student played key role in finding Phoenix landing site

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Tabatha Heet, a junior earth and planetary sciences major and Pathfinder student, shows Ray Arvidson, earth and planetary sciences department chair, a potential landing site for the Phoenix mission to Mars, set to launch in August. Heet has played a major role in finding a relatively rock-free landing site in the Martian northern plains. Video available.

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Bringing Mars to life Ray Arvidson to deliver inaugural Robert M. Walker Distinguished Lecture Oct. 20, 2008 -- Raymond E. Arvidson, Ph.D., the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor at Washington University, will deliver the inaugural Robert M. Walker Distinguished Lecture at 7 p.m. Oct. 30 in Room 100, Brown Hall, on the university's Danforth Campus. Arvidson, who has played key roles in NASA's missions to Mars, including the current Phoenix Mars Mission, will discuss "Mars: Environments, Habitability, and Life" during the free lecture that is open to the public.

"Dig Czar" Washington University plays key role in Mars mission June 9, 2008 -- Image courtesy of NASA The Phoenix Mars Lander on the northern Mars plains, searching for evidence of ice and water. Among the many Phoenix Mars Mission workers are Raymond E. Arvidson, Ph.D., the WUSTL chair of earth and planetary sciences, a computer specialist and four WUSTL students. Their goal is to infer from images and other data the geological history of the landing site and to imply some theories about current and past climate on Mars. Will they find ice?

Showing 2 Phoenix Mars Mission 2008 Stories.

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For Mars Rover, Really Remote Roadside Assistance The Wall Street Journal July 17, 2009 -- On Mars, NASA's robot rover Spirit is spinning its wheels on the soft shoulder of planetary exploration, up to its axles in silt millions of miles away from tense engineers who are struggling to extricate it by remote control. Includes comments by WUSTL earth and planetary sciences professor Ray Arvidson, who is the project deputy principal investigator.

U.S. Astronauts Might Hitch Rides on Chinese Spacecraft Space.com April 17, 2009 -- The U.S. and China are exploring new ways to bridge U.S. moon exploration plans with China. Includes comments from WUSTL earth and planetary sciences professor Ray Arvidson.

What lies in store for the Mars rovers? MSNBC.com and 1 others March 31, 2009 -- Their 90-day warranty expired awhile ago, but NASA's twin Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity are still trundling along the Martian surface en route to their next destinations more than five years after landing on the red planet. But just how long they can keep going is anyone's guess. WUSTL earth and planetary sciences professor Ray Arvidson comments.

Lander data sheds light on Mars polar water MSNBC.com and 1 others Dec. 16, 2008 -- Data from the now-defunct NASA Phoenix Mars Lander is shedding light on the current water cycle on Mars, particularly how water moves between the surface and the atmosphere in the northern polar region. It has a very active weather environment. WUSTL earth and planetary sciences professor Ray Arvidson, who is the lead scientist for Phoenix's robotic arm, comments.

Phoenix probe sheds new light on Mars weather Toronto Star (Canada) and 21 others Dec. 16, 2008 -- NASA is still unable to say for sure whether its Phoenix lander has found a place where life could have existed on Mars. In addition to analyzing ice and soil samples for organic material, a process that is still under way, the Phoenix science team collected daily weather reports, information considered critical to learning if the planet could have supported water long enough for life to evolve. Includes comments by WUSTL earth and planetary sciences professor Ray Arvidson, who served as the lead scientist for the lander's robotic arm.

NASA says Phoenix Mars mission has ended Associated Press and 112 others Nov. 11, 2008 -- NASA declared an end to the Phoenix mission on Monday, some five months after the spacecraft became the first to land in Mars' arctic plains and taste water on another planet. "It's always a sad situation to not be able to communicate with it, but it lived beyond its warranty," said mission scientist and WUSTL earth and planetary sciences professor Ray Arvidson.

NASA sends 'please wake up' call to Phoenix lander USA Today Nov. 4, 2008 -- NASA engineers still hope to rouse a slumbering Phoenix lander and wring the last science out of the mission to Mars' North Pole. WUSTL earth and planetary sciences professor and mission scientist Ray Arvidson comments.

NASA's Phoenix Mission Faces Survival Challenges ScienceDaily.com and 15 others Oct. 29, 2008 -- In a race against time and the elements, engineers with NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander mission hope to extend the lander's survival by gradually shutting down some of its instruments and heaters. WUSTL earth and planetary sciences professor Ray Arvidson, who is the robotic arm's co-investigator, comments.

NASA's Phoenix Lander Weathers Martian Dust Storm ScienceDaily.com and 6 others Oct. 15, 2008 -- The Phoenix Lander successfully weather a regional dust storm that temporarily lowered its solar power. The team is back investigating the Red Planet's northern plains, and WUSTL earth and planetary sciences professor Ray Arvidson, comments on the storm.

Phoenix's Water May Be Gumming Up the Works Science Magazine Aug. 8, 2008 -- The Phoenix mission's most dramatic achievement so far has been touching martian water ice. Mission investigators are now trying to decode the mysteries of alien dirt. WUSTL earth and planetary sciences professor Ray Arvidson, mission robotic arm co-investigator, comments.

Living on Mars time: Scientists suffer perpetual jet lag USA Today and 1 others July 29, 2008 -- Mars Lander mission controllers have been living on its schedule, or rather the exact opposite of it. When the spacecraft is sleeping during the Martian night, the scientists are up analyzing data; when the spacecraft rises at the beginning of the day on Mars, they retire and let Phoenix do its work.Mars' day is 40 minutes longer than Earth's, and the start of the Martian day is always changing with respect to Earth time, as a result of their respective orbital motions. Reserachers essentially change three time zones every two days, as a result. Phoenix robotic arm co-investigator and WUSTL earth and planetary sciences professor Ray Arvidson comments.

Tasting ice Science News Web edition July 21, 2008 -- Phoenix Mars Lander is ready to analyze ice if instruments work properly. "The team is totally focused on getting a rasped-up icy sample to TEGA," says mission specialist and WUSTL earth and planetary sciences professor Ray Arvidson. He says collecting the desired icy sample is like trying to sample the sidewalk in front of his house. "The soil is that hard," he says.

NASA: Robotic arm gives Martian soil a zap Computerworld (MA) and 5 others July 15, 2008 -- As NASA scientists prepare to give a faulty instrument on the Mars Lander another try, they've also been using an electric fork and an atomic force microscope to get more clues about the makeup of Martian soil. WUSTL earth and planetary sciences professor Ray Arvidson, a co-investigator for the Mars Lander's robotic arm team, comments.

NASA waiting on first chemical analysis of Martian soil Computerworld (MA) and 1 others June 26, 2008 -- NASA scientists are eagerly awaiting the first test results to come down from a wet chemistry lab on the Phoenix Mars Lander that yesterday analyzed its first bit of Martian soil. Includes comments by WUSTL earth and planetary sciences professor Ray Arvidson on the work of the lander's robotic arm.

NASA's Phoenix Lander finds ice on Mars Telegraph.co.uk (UK) June 23, 2008 -- The Mars Phoenix Lander has found ice on the surface of the Red Planet raising hopes of finding evidence of life forms. The proof came in a series of pictures sent back by Phoenix of a trench it dug with its robotic arm at the arctic circle of Mars, showing dice-sized chunks of white material that are seen to melt away over the course of several days. WUSTL earth and planetary sciences professor Ray Arvidson comments. He is the lead scientist for Phoenix's Robotic Arm.

Ice on Mars! Now you see it, now you don't MSNBC.MSN.com June 20, 2008 -- The scientists behind NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander mission now know that they had their first close-up look at Martian ice — because it has vanished from the picture. NASA scientist and WUSTL earth and planetary sciences professor Ray Arvidson comments.

Mars lander loses day of work after data glitch Associated Press and 56 others June 19, 2008 -- The Phoenix lander stopped digging soil near Mars' north pole as engineers on Earth worked to fix a glitch that caused the loss of a day's worth of photos. NASA scientist and WUSTL earth and planetary sciences professor Ray Arvidson comments.

Phoenix Probes Martian Soil -- No Ice Yet but Lots of Resolution Scientific American online June 17, 2008 -- NASA announced that the first soil sample baked in the Phoenix Mars Lander shows no signs of water. NASA scientist and WUSTL earth and planetary sciences professor Ray Arvidson comments on the robotic arm.

Mars lander may have found ice at polygon's edge New Scientist (UK) June 17, 2008 -- The Phoenix lander's robotic arm has uncovered a patch of what may be ice on the border of a polygon-shaped section of soil in Mars's northern plains. NASA scientist and WUSTL earth and planetary sciences professor Ray Arvidson comments. He is the lead scientist for the robotic arm's activities.

Mars team ponders whether lander sees ice or salt Associated Press and 53 others June 17, 2008 -- Is the white stuff in the Martian soil ice or salt? That's the question bedeviling scientists in the three weeks since the Phoenix lander began digging into Mars' north pole region to study whether the arctic could be habitable. Mission scientist and WUSTL earth and planetary sciences professor Ray Arvidson comments.