Mars Exploration Program 2007 Phoenix Mission Landing Site Selection

Mathematics – Probability

Scientific paper

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5400 Planetary Sciences: Solid Surface Planets, 5422 Ices, 5462 Polar Regions, 5470 Surface Materials And Properties

Scientific paper

The Phoenix lander will touch down on the northern plains of Mars in the summer of 2008 to image the surrounding terrain in color and stereo, conduct meteorology experiments, use a robotic arm to acquire surface and subsurface soil and ice samples, and determine sample textures, aqueous chemistry, mineral/ice phases, and volatile phase iso-topic compositions. Landing site selection focuses on finding regions between 65 and 72 degrees north that have ice beneath a relatively thin soil cover, slopes less than ~15 degrees at all scales down to the size of the lander, relatively low rock abundances, relatively low dust content, geomorphic features indicative of glacial or periglacial processes, and atmospheric conditions that maximize the probability of a safe landing. Three broad regions have been selected (A=250 to 270 E; B=120 to 140 deg E; C=65 to 85 E) that are consistent with the soil cover constraint based on analyses of Odyssey GRS data, seasonal temperature trends derived from TES data, and thermal models. MOC, THEMIS, and OMEGA data have been acquired for selected areas within these regions and evaluated for slopes (from DEMs generated from MOC and MOLA data), rock abundances, and geomorphology. Completion of analyses and down-selection to several candidate sites is scheduled for the summer of 2006, to be followed by coverage with MRO HiRISE, CRISM, CTX, and SHARAD observations. Subsequent analyses of these data will help define a final landing site before launch in August 2007.

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