Phoenix Mars mission countdown and launch thread

[01101001]

Well, it's approaching, so it's about time for a special-purpose topic to mark the Phoenix Mars mission progress toward launch, and entry in into cruise mode.

Launch countdown:
22 days 13 hours 54 minutes 00 seconds

[loglo]

Phoenix Mars mission countdown and launch thread
01101001
Today 03:07 AM
by 01101001 Go to last post
0 8
Phoenix Mars mission countdown and launch thread
01101001
Today 03:06 AM
by 01101001

I think I'm seeing binary.

[01101001]

Originally Posted by loglo

I think I'm seeing binary.

One thread good. Two threads twice as good!

(There I was, surrounded by topics... The submission of this one took for.........ever, and I must have hit Submit a second time. After minutes of grinding, I never did see it finish. That's rare in my experience. I backed out and checked for the topic, and left well enough alone, intending to try later. I checked once in a while and eventually one, and then quickly the second, showed up. I scheduled one for delete-me execution, if a kindly moderator will clean up my mess.)

Countdown:
22 days 12 hours 22 minutes 30 seconds

[Launch window]

The robotic arm looks great, the Phoenix will also act as a weather station - recording temperature, windspeed, pressure etc on Mars

[01101001]

Phoenix Mars mission

Launch countdown:
20 days 00 hours 00 minutes 00 seconds

Too exact to pass up. Hmm, it's my local midnight, Pacific Daylight time (and Mountain Standard, for Arizona). They're probably just counting down to the first day of the launch window.

[crosscountry]

I hope they use the metric system this time.

[Kelfazin]

So the lander uses rockets to retard its rate at landing, but then it doesn't move. Won't the rockets contaminate the soil it's analyzing?

[djellison]

A little bit - yes - but they know the exact chemical composition of the exhaust and thus can compensate appropriately.

Doug

[OneHotJupiter]

I'm not sure what part of this mission is more fascinating , the lander itself OR the Sky Crane being used to place this machine on the planets surface , I am just a bit more than giddy to see this one!

[Hamlet]

Originally Posted by OneHotJupiter

I'm not sure what part of this mission is more fascinating , the lander itself OR the Sky Crane being used to place this machine on the planets surface , I am just a bit more than giddy to see this one!

The Sky Crane concept is being developed for the Mars Science Laboratory that will be launched in the fall of 2009. Phoenix will use rockets mounted to the lander for the last part of its Entry, Descent and Landing phase.

[OneHotJupiter]

Oh yeah , Drat! I have to wait several more years to see if that Sky Crane contraption works! Thanks for the reminder!

[01101001]

Phoenix Mars mission

Launch countdown:
14 days 06 hours 00 minutes 00 seconds

Just over 2 weeks.

[01101001]

Phoenix Mars mission

Launch countdown:
10 days 05 hours 00 minutes 00 seconds

[01101001]

Phoenix Mars mission

Launch countdown:
7 days 02 hours 00 minutes 00 seconds

Just over a week.

[01101001]

Phoenix Mars mission

Launch countdown:
4 days 03 hours 00 minutes 00 seconds

[Kelfazin]

For people in the Phoenix/Tucson area, there is a celebration at the Pima Air and Space Museum:

Phoenix Mars Mission Launch Celebration
9 A.M. TO 1 P.M. AUGUST 4TH HANGAR 1 South
Activities - Displays - Demonstrations, Solar observing telescopes, Live communication from Cape Canaveral

Scheduled launch is a 2:35 Tucson time...

[01101001]

As Cugel spotted, over in Phoenix Mission, launch rescheduled from Friday morning to Saturday morning.

Spaceflight Now Mission Status: TUESDAY, JULY 31, 2007

Anticipated stormy weather in the Cape Canaveral area this afternoon has caused a ripple effect in preparations to launch the Phoenix lander bound for Mars, forcing NASA to postpone the liftoff aboard a Delta 2 rocket by 24 hours.

Originally set for early Friday, the launch has been rescheduled for Saturday morning. Liftoff will be possible during a pair of one-second launch windows at 5:26 and 6:02 a.m. EDT.

U of A's slow on the draw. Countdown clock doesn't appear to reflect this. U of A Phoenix Mars mission

Launch Countdown:
2 Days 15 Hours 48 Minutes 00 Seconds (probably incorrect)

NASA Phoenix Mars mission

[01101001]

University of Arizona Phoenix Mars mission still doesn't seem to reflect that the launch has slipped to Saturday morning (local).

Launch Countdown:
1 Days 17 Hours 16 Minutes 00 Seconds

So, I'd say it is closer to, corrected, Launch Countdown:
2 Days 17 Hours 07 Minutes 00 Seconds



NASA Phoenix Mars Mission has the (Eastern Daylight Time) launch times:

Launch
Aug. 4
Attempts: 5:26 and 6:02 a.m.

[01101001]

University of Arizona Phoenix Mars mission appears to have adjusted their countdown clock to reflect a Saturday morning 0526 EDT, 0226 PDT, 0926 UTC attempt (but the clock seems to target a launch a few minutes earlier).

Launch Countdown:
1 Days 15 Hours 00 Minutes 00 Seconds

For reference, from Planetary Society Blog, 2 launch attempts per day, about 35 minutes apart, for a few days, UTC:

Date Instant One Instant Two
August 4 09:26:31 10:02:55
August 5 09:17:23 09:53:59
August 6 09:07:48 09:44:32
August 7 08:57:36 09:34:29
August 8 08:46:45 09:23:52

[Rue]

The CSA's clock has something different 1 13
http://www.space.gc.ca/asc/eng/exploration/phoenix.asp

While University of Arizona says 1 10
http://phoenix.lpl.arizona.edu/

At time of posting.

[01101001]

I hope Canada isn't 3 hours late for the launch. Are they using one of those metric clocks?

University of Arizona Phoenix Mars Mission

Launch Countdown:
1 Days 01 Hours 00 Minutes 00 Seconds

25 hours

===

There is a Phoenix Mission Webcast scheduled for August 3, 11:30 AM EDT

Join host Tiffany Nail as she takes you on an exclusive, behind-the-scenes tour to see how the Phoenix spacecraft and Delta II rocket are prepared for launch as this exciting new mission to Mars is poised to take us another step closer to understanding the mysteries of the red planet. In addition, the experts are set to answer some of your questions that were submitted to our question board, so watch the webcast to learn more.

[Parrothead]

My alma mater is involved in this mission, as well.

http://www.yorku.ca/mediar/archive/R...p?Release=1269

York University leads the Canadian science team responsible for the design and construction of the lander’s sophisticated weather station, which will gather critical data about the weather and climate on Mars. This meteorological information package (MET) will provide a comprehensive picture of Martian weather at the landing site. It was constructed with $37 million in funding from the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). ... Richard Hornsey, Associate Dean of York’s School of Engineering, says the Phoenix Mission is an exciting combination of space science and space engineering. “It reflects the unique expertise in these fields at York at both the research and undergraduate levels,” he says.

The MET package was developed in partnership with the University of Alberta, Dalhousie University, Optech and the Geological Survey of Canada, with international collaboration from The Finnish Meteorological Institute. MDA Space Missions is the prime contractor for the meteorological station, in partnership with Optech, which manufactured the lidar. Aarhus University (Denmark) constructed part of the wind sensor.

[01101001]

Phoenix stuff on NASA TV today

According to the schedule at Live Events, News and Special Event Programs (All times EDT):

August 3, Friday

• 12 p.m. - Phoenix Mission Webcast - HQ - (Public and Media Channels)
• 1 p.m. - Phoenix Mission Webcast - HQ - (Public and Media Channels)
• 7 p.m. - Replay of Phoenix Prelaunch Press Conference - HQ (Public and Media Channels)
• 8 p.m. - Replay of Phoenix Mission Science Briefing - HQ (Public and Media Channels)

August 4, Saturday

• 3:30 a.m. - Coverage and Commentary of Phoenix Launch (launch is scheduled for 5:35 a.m.) - KSC (Media and Education Channels)

Watch NASA TV



Launch Countdown
0 Days 19 Hours 00 Minutes 00 Seconds

[01101001]

Originally Posted by 01101001

Watch NASA TV

1:00 PM EDT replay of Phoenix Mission webcast recently ended. Didn't catch it all. At end Peter Smith, PI, in recorded format was answering questions, probably off the Internet.

It remains available on-demand at Phoenix Mission Webcast.

University of Arizona Phoenix Mars Mission

Launch Countdown:
0 Days 16 Hours 00 Minutes 00 Seconds

[Jerry]

Originally Posted by Rue

The CSA's clock has something different 1 13
http://www.space.gc.ca/asc/eng/exploration/phoenix.asp

While University of Arizona says 1 10
http://phoenix.lpl.arizona.edu/

At time of posting.

There are built-in pauses in the countdown; So if UofA is linked to the countdown, and CSA is counting down til launch time, this might the decrepancy. The other possibility is that it takes light longer to travel to Canada than most of us realize

[01101001]

Originally Posted by Jerry

There are built-in pauses in the countdown; So if UofA is linked to the countdown, and CSA is counting down til launch time, this might the decrepancy.

Nope.

The Canadian countdown clock is, and has stayed, simply about 3 hours behind. It will have to run fast (or be advanced) to hit zero at the next launch opportunity.

I doubt the Arizona clock is tied to NASA. It was off by a day for a long bit when the launch slipped to Saturday. When properly set, it reflects a real-time countdown, without delays and holds.

For instance, as of this edit, at 1800 UTC, University of Arizona Phoenix Mars Mission

Launch Countdown:
0 Days 15 Hours 26 Minutes 00 Seconds

Reflecting the first launch opportunity of Saturday 0926 UTC.

[01101001]

NASA mission news: Next Departure for Mars Stands Ready to Fly

"We have worked for four years to get to this point, so we are all very excited," said Barry Goldstein, Phoenix project manager at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena. "Our attention after launch will be focused on flying the spacecraft to our selected landing site, preparing for surface operations, and continuing our relentless examination and testing for the all-important descent and landing on May 25 of next year."

Phoenix will travel 679 million kilometers (422 million miles) in an outward arc from Earth to Mars. It will determine whether icy soil on far northern Mars has conditions that have ever been suitable for life.

Studies of potential landing sites by spacecraft orbiting Mars led NASA to approve a site at 68.35 degrees north latitude -- the equivalent of northern Alaska -- and 233.0 degrees east longitude.

===

Google Mars map for context. (I think I built the URL right, for 68.35 N 233 E.)

===

NASA Phoenix Mars Mission: Latest News: Phoenix Set for Early Liftoff Saturday

Poised atop a Delta II rocket, the Phoenix spacecraft is on track for an early-morning liftoff and the beginning of its journey toward Mars. The weather forecast remains favorable, with only a 20 percent chance of violations at launch time. At the Phoenix prelaunch news conference on Thursday, NASA's Launch Director Chuck Dovale reported that the launch team is ready to go. Weather Officer Joel Tumbiolo said the forecast calls for scattered clouds, light ground and upper-level winds, and good visibility.

Launch Countdown:
0 Days 12 Hours 39 Minutes 00 Seconds

[01101001]

NASA Launch Coverage Blog:

Live countdown coverage will begin [...] about two hours prior to liftoff.
The launch is currently scheduled for Aug. 4 with two launch attempts at 5:26 and 6:02 a.m. EDT.

===

From SpaceflightNow, a Phoenix launch timeline that will probably come in handy when things get moving:

T-00:00 Liftoff
T+01:03.1 Ground SRM Burnout
T+01:05.5 Air-Lit SRM Ignition
T+01:06.0 Jettison Ground SRMs
T+02:11.5 Jettison Air-Lit SRMs
T+04:23.3 Main Engine Cutoff
T+04:31.3 Stage Separation
T+04:36.8 Second Stage Ignition
T+05:03.0 Jettison Payload Fairing
T+09:20.5 Second Stage Cutoff 1
T+73:47.2 Second Stage Restart
T+76:02.3 Second Stage Cutoff 2
T+77:05.5 Stage Separation
T+77:42.8 Third Stage Ignition
T+79:10.3 Third Stage Burnout
T+84:10.3 Phoenix Separation

===

University of Arizona Phoenix Mars Mission

Launch Countdown:
0 Days 10 Hours 00 Minutes 00 Seconds

[01101001]

NASA TV

Replay of prelaunch press conference has been underway 30 minutes.
Replay of science briefing is coming up.

Watch NASA TV

[01101001]

University of Arizona Phoenix Mars Mission

Launch Countdown:
0 Days 05 Hours 30 Minutes 00 Seconds

Game on.


Destination: Planned landing area



Other recent images (from webcast, press conference, science briefing)