Mars 2007 Phoenix Lander: Site Selection and Terrain Analysis

Physics

Scientific paper

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5462 Polar Regions, 5464 Remote Sensing, 5470 Surface Materials And Properties, 6225 Mars, 1824 Geomorphology (1625)

Scientific paper

The Phoenix Lander will touch down on the northern plains of Mars in the summer of 2008 to characterize surface and near subsurface materials hypothesized to be enriched in water ice. The landing site will be between the latitudes of 65 and 72 degrees north and below -3500 m elevation to meet entry constraints. In addition, the site will be located where Mars Odyssey Gamma Ray Spectrometer (GRS) data and modeling suggest a relatively thin (less than 20 g/cm2) soil cover over ice. The site should also have slopes at the 10 to 1000 meter length scale consistent with favorable radar return during Entry, Decent, and Landing (EDL), modest slopes at the lander scale to avoid adverse spacecraft tilts, and rock abundances comparable to or less that those found at the Viking Lander 2 site in Utopia Planitia. Further, the site should show geomorphic evidence of periglacial activity (e.g. patterned ground). Four broad regions (A: 250 to 270E, B: 120 to 140E, C: 65 to 85E, D: 230 to 250E) have been identified to focus coverage of Mars Orbital Camera (MOC), Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS), and OMEGA instruments. Geomorphic maps and quantitative analyses of landforms and hazards will be presented for these regions, including slope distributions, rock abundances, and mineralogy based on data acquired during the current northern summer season.

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