May 4, 2007 8:27 am US/Mountain
Lockheed Martin Builds Next Mars Lander For NASA
by Jodi Brooks
LAKEWOOD, Colo. (CBS4) ―
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The latest probe headed to Mars was being packed for shipment Thursday, May 3, 2007 at Lockheed Martin's Waterton Canyon facility in Jefferson County.
NASA
The latest probe headed to Mars was being packed for shipment Thursday at Lockheed Martin's Waterton Canyon facility in Jefferson County. The Phoenix will be flown to NASA in Florida next Monday before blasting-off into space in August.
Scientists hope the lander will answer the question about whether life existed on the red planet.
"Analyze that ice and see if maybe we can find organic compounds which are conducive to life," said Gary Napier, a Lockheed Martin spokesperson. "We're not looking for life, but we're seeing if traces of life exist."
Phoenix will be in the high northern latitude of Mars where it's believed ice is under the soil. A robotic arm will scoop up the soil for testing.
The entire mission on Mars will last 90 days. Researchers expect the Phoenix will freeze to death.
"Phoenix is a unique mission because it's actually a lander, and we haven't had a successful lander go to mars in over 30 years," Napier said.
The last time a lander successfully touched down on Mars was when the Lockheed Martin Viking probe arrived on the red planet.
Phoenix will use rockets as it touches down on the Martian surface.
"It'll be a wild ride for 7 minutes as it's going through the landing stage," Napier said. "Once it's down, we're going to be pretty happy here on Earth."
The launch of Phoenix is planned 3 months from Thursday. The timing is important since the Earth and Mars are aligned close enough once every 26 months.
After a more than 9 month journey to Mars, the landing is scheduled to happen on Memorial Day in 2008.
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