Table of Contents

Mission Overview

The Phoenix Mars Lander, the first mission to study a polar region of Mars at ground level, launched from the Kennedy Space Center aboard a Delta II rocket at 5:26 a.m. EDT on August 4, 2007. After landing near the northern polar cap on May 25, 2008, in an area known as Vastitas Borealis, Phoenix will spend the next 90 days probing Mars' soil and atmosphere for clues about the history of water and to see whether the environment could support life.

Phoenix uses a 2.35-metre robotic arm to dig into the soil scooping up samples for analysis by its onboard chemistry set. Scientists can test to see whether the soil is salty, alkaline, oxidizing, and has complex organic molecules necessary for life. Phoenix will be the first mission to touch and sample the water on Mars, which is thought to be frozen in the northern permafrost just below the surface.

The Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, have already sent evidence that water likely existed billions of years ago on Mars. Satellites orbiting the planet have also found strong evidence of permafrost ice in the polar regions. Unlike the Spirit and Opportunity rovers, the Phoenix lander is stationary, since water ice is probably spread uniformly throughout the northern plains.

A composite mosaic of four views of Mars' north polar ice cap (Image: NASA)

The Importance of Water

Following the clues for water is like science detective work. Water is key to many scientific questions about Mars:

• Have there ever been—or are there now—living organisms on Mars?
• What can Mars teach us about climate change?
• How do geological processes differ on Mars and on Earth?
• How can we prepare to explore Mars?

Water is a major agent of climate and geology, a precursor for life, and a potential resource for human explorers.

Canada's Contribution: Mars Weather Reports

Canada developed and built the meteorological station (MET) on Phoenix that records the daily weather of the Martian northern plains using temperature, wind and pressure sensors, as well as a light detection and ranging instrument, or lidar. The data improves models of the Martian climate and predict future weather processes, paving the way for future exploration missions. This information may also add to scientists' understanding of Earth's dynamic polar regions as they compare the two planets.

Resembling a bright green laser, the lidar probes the "boundary layer" of the Martian atmosphere. This is the turbulent layer of the atmosphere about seven to ten kilometres above the surface. The lidar also provides information about the structure, composition and optical properties of clouds, fog, and dust in the lower atmosphere, up to 20 kilometres above the landing site.

The Canadian Space Agency invested $37 million for the design, construction, operations, and scientific support of the MET station, which was tested at the David Florida Laboratory in Ottawa. Please see Partners for information on the scientists and organizations involved in the Phoenix mission.