Phoenix Landing Party

[+Jamie Z]

It's time once again for a Geocaching Chat Room NASA party. This time, Mars Lander Phoenix is set to touch down on Sunday, May 25 2008 at approximately 6:53pm Central time. Phoenix will be the first lander since 1976 to make a soft landing on Mars.

 

 

What: Phoenix Landing Party

 

When: Join us sometime before landing time 6:00pm until about 8:00pm Central will be when the big show happens.

 

Where: ClayJar's Geocaching Chat Room

 

From an AP article:

 

LOS ANGELES - Like a miner prospecting for gold, NASA hopes its latest robot to Mars hits pay dirt when it lands Sunday near the red planet's north pole to conduct a 90-day digging mission. The three-legged Phoenix Mars lander fitted with a backhoe arm is zeroing in on the unexplored arctic region where a reservoir of ice is believed to lie beneath the Martian surface.

 

Before this robotic geologist can excavate the soil, it must first survive a nail-biting plunge through the Martian atmosphere. Despite the rousing success of NASA's twin Mars rovers, which landed in 2004, more than half of the world's attempts to land on the planet have failed.

 

"It's kind of like first-day jitters," said Ed Sedivy, program manager at Lockheed Martin Corp., which built Phoenix. "There's a lot of excitement, but there's also some nervousness."

 

Launched last summer from Cape Canaveral, Fla., Phoenix has traveled 422 million miles for Sunday's touchdown.

 

On Sunday, Phoenix will punch through the Martian atmosphere at more than 12,000 mph. Over the next seven minutes, it will use the atmosphere's friction and a parachute to slow to 5 mph. Seconds before touchdown, Phoenix will fire its thrusters for what scientists hope will be a soft landing. If all goes well, ground controllers expect to hear a signal at 7:53 p.m. EDT.

 

Smith calls the entry the "seven minutes of terror."

 

"Try holding your breath for seven minutes," he said. "It's plenty of time to get very nervous."

 

The last time NASA tried a soft landing on Mars, it ended in disaster. In 1999, the Mars Polar Lander was angling for the south pole when it prematurely shut off its engine and tumbled to its death.

 

The loss, coupled with the earlier failure of the Mars Climate Orbiter during NASA's "faster, better, cheaper" era, forced the space agency to scrap another lander and restructure its Mars exploration program.

 

Phoenix, named after the mythological bird that rose from its own ashes, was cobbled together from the mothballed lander mission in the wake of the back-to-back failures.

 

Barry Goldstein, project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, said engineers extensively tested Phoenix's systems and instruments to minimize risk of failure.

 

Once on the ground, the 772-pound Phoenix will wait 15 minutes for the dust to settle before unfurling its solar panels. Then it will hoist its weather mast and beam back the first images of its surroundings.

 

See you there.

 

Jamie

[+JJG10101]

Phoenix will be the first lander since 1976 to make a soft landing on Mars.

 

Hmmn. What about the twin rovers "Spirit" and "Opportunity"? I guess you could call those semi-soft landings.

[+sbell111]

Sooner or later, we're going to have to do a live mission to Mars just to clean up all our junk.

[+Keruso]

Sooner or later, we're going to have to do a live mission to Mars just to clean up all our junk.

 

and place a cache

[MarcusArelius]

Hmm who would be the land manager to request permission from?

[+The Jester]

God???

[+Jamie Z]

Phoenix will be the first lander since 1976 to make a soft landing on Mars.

 

Hmmn. What about the twin rovers "Spirit" and "Opportunity"? I guess you could call those semi-soft landings.

We had landing party for those, too.

 

A soft landing is the same as a powered landing. The MERs parachuted to a low elevation, airbags inflated around them, and then they fell the rest of the way, bouncing until they stopped.

 

Phoenix is powered. After releasing from the parachute, it will fire rockets as it reaches the surface.

 

Pictures should be returned to Earth shortly after landing.

 

Jamie

[+StarBrand]

Too cool!! I saw a replica of the lander recently.

[+Glenn]

Hmm who would be the land manager to request permission from?

 

I would assume that it would one of these guys or gals or whatevers...

 

 

or maybe even Santa

 

 

I know global warming is a concern. But Santa, Mars, really?

[+Quiggle]

Other than the fact that it's on Clayjar's chat, I don't see anything related to geocaching on here.

 

Moving to Off-Topic.

[+Jamie Z]

Other than the fact that it's on Clayjar's chat, I don't see anything related to geocaching on here.

I've been holding launch and landing parties in the geocaching chat room for years. Nobody has ever moved my threads.

 

Now I'll get the Off-Topic crowd in there.

 

Jamie

[+SmartSapper]

How long till the first Martian shows up with a filthy rag and charges a fiver to wipe the dust off the solar panels?

[+Torry]

Other than the fact that it's on Clayjar's chat, I don't see anything related to geocaching on here.

I've been holding launch and landing parties in the geocaching chat room for years. Nobody has ever moved my threads.

 

Now I'll get the Off-Topic crowd in there.

 

Jamie

 

It'll be fine. We'll be sure to shower first.

 

I'll bring peanuts.

[+magking1971]

So I get the NASA channel with Directv any idea this will be on it?

That would put the weekend over the top.

[+Michael]

There is a tradition of allowing this thread in the general section. Consider it placed with permission of Groundspeak. Quiggle was not aware of the exception of this thread and made no mistake when he moved it.

[+Quiggle]

There is a tradition of allowing this thread in the general section. Consider it placed with permission of Groundspeak. Quiggle was not aware of the exception of this thread and made no mistake when he moved it.

Very good, thanks for moving it back, Michael. Sorry for the mix-up, Jamie Z.

 

[+Torry]

So does that mean the the scary Off-Topic people are not invited after all?

[+carleenp]

Other than the fact that it's on Clayjar's chat, I don't see anything related to geocaching on here.

I've been holding launch and landing parties in the geocaching chat room for years. Nobody has ever moved my threads.

 

Now I'll get the Off-Topic crowd in there.

 

Jamie

 

Off topic people enjoy landing parties too.

[+waterwitch2]

So I get the NASA channel with Directv any idea this will be on it?

That would put the weekend over the top.

 

It will be on the Science Channel (DirecTV Channel 284).

[+sbell111]

Wow. A quick mention of Torry's peanuts chased the thread right out of off topic.

[+Jamie Z]

So I get the NASA channel with Directv any idea this will be on it?

Absolutely. All day. Like the Super Bowl. Pregame and all.

 

Very good, thanks for moving it back, Michael. Sorry for the mix-up, Jamie Z.

It's all good. As long as you show up to the partty.

 

So does that mean the the scary Off-Topic people are not invited after all?

Of course not. The scary Off-Topic people are still invited.

 

For an over-the-top "trailer" of Sunday's events, watch this short QuickTime film: http://phoenix.lpl.arizona.edu/video/edl_teaser_low.mov

 

And a bit more detailed version of the above video: http://phoenix.lpl.arizona.edu/video/phoenix_edl_high.mp4

(for a really high quality video [100+MB], go here: http://phoenix.lpl.arizona.edu/video/phoenix_edl_hd.mov)

 

Today during a press conference, a project manager said that the power dissapated by Phoenix as it slows to a stop would power Topeka, KS. Last time they tried this, the craft crashed.

 

Jamie

[+mtn-man]

I'm kind of bummed that I will be flying back from GW6 at that time. I will have to see what happens on the news.

[+OpenTrackRacer]

I won't be in the chat but I'll be watching. Been there for every mission since Pathfinder (good and bad).

 

Keeping my fingers crossed!

[+Jamie Z]

Sunday's NASA TV schedule (all times Eastern):

 

I should be in the chat room somwhere around 3pm Eastern (2pm Central).

 

May 25, Sunday

3 p.m. - Mars Phoenix Lander Briefing - JPL (Public and Media Channels)

6 p.m. - Mars Phoenix Lander Landing Coverage - JPL (Media Channel)

6:30 - 8:45 p.m. - Mars Phoenix Lander Landing Coverage - JPL (Public Channel)

9:30 p.m. - Mars Phoenix Lander Briefing - First Downlink of Data - JPL (Public and Media Channels)

 

I should be in the chat room somwhere around 3pm Eastern (2pm Central).

 

Remember, more than half of all missions to Mars have failed. It's going to be a dramatic attempt. There are no aborts or scrubs. Phoenix is going to land on Mars, ready or not.

 

If you don't have NASA TV at home, here are a couple of internet feeds:

 

cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/nasa

 

http://www.nasa.gov/55644main_NASATV_Windows.asx

 

Jamie

Edited May 25, 2008 by Jamie Z

[+Jamie Z]

May 25, Sunday

3 p.m. (Eastern) - Mars Phoenix Lander Briefing - JPL (Public and Media Channels)

2pm Central time, the final press briefing before landing is about to air. I'm in the chat room. Come join me.

 

Jamie

Edited May 25, 2008 by Jamie Z

[+Jamie Z]

The show has begun.

[+GOT GPS?]

Link to the NASA Feed link > http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html

Have had it on my Desktop for some time since loosing my Dish Network.

 

Just a few minutes to go.

[+Fergus]

Phoenix has landed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[+tands]

What a fun time I had! Thanks ClayJar.

 

- T of TandS

[+Jamie Z]

Thanks to all those who attended.

 

Torry

Tee

Mopar

Bitbrain

ClayJar

Glenn

 

and a few others I can't immediately recall.

 

One of the most interesting NASA parties we've had in the geocaching chat room.

 

Here are some preliminary photos from Phoenix:

 

 

 

 

Impressive landing. Fun party.

 

Thanks also to Groundspeak for letting us promote the landing party when it's only indirectly geocaching related. Thanks to ClayJar for use of the chatroom.

 

Jamie

[+Glenn]

Impressive landing. Fun party.

 

Thanks also to Groundspeak for letting us promote the landing party when it's only indirectly geocaching related. Thanks to ClayJar for use of the chatroom.

 

Jamie

 

I second that. Thanks Groundspeak and ClayJar!

[+Quiggle]

The pictures are indeed very cool