AFP - 05/27/2008 22:00
Phoenix in good condition but communication problems delayed its activities
Less than 48 hours after landing on Mars, the U.S. probe Phoenix was on Tuesday in perfect condition, but a radio communication problem delayed its unprecedented exploration of Martian arctic soil in search of water ice and past primitive life.
"A disturbance (cosmic) caused temporary disruption of radio communications in very high frequency (UHF) to Phoenix," he told a press briefing Fuk Li, who heads the Mars exploration program at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory ( JPL) in Pasadena (California, west).
JPLHe was optimistic by ensuring that radio communications shall be restored in one way or another and that the problem "will not compromise the Phoenix mission."
Fuk Li said that in the worst case the European orbiter Mars Express could ensure the same communication radio with the probe.
"The team (engineers) of the MRO (Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter) is currently reviewing what happened and has been trying for several hours to restore radio communication, and we hope that everything returns to normal," he added.
The problem originated in the MRO not in Phoenix, said Fuk Li, "is in perfect condition."
The technical problem delayed, however, planned maneuvers Tuesday to extend the probe's robotic arm.
Other activities may develop normally, but the arm of the Phoenix will not start digging in the permafrost until next weekend, according to JPL.
arm is similar to a mechanical digger and measured 2.35 meters deployed. Is able to dig up to half a meter deep.
The first layer is made of dust, which will be a good show at Mars, given the severe storms that occur regularly on the set of the red planet, said Gary Napier.
mission scientists believe "very likely to find ice mixed with soil in three to four weeks," he said.
This permafrost, a mixture of ice and soil in a ratio of 70 and 30% respectively as the Arctic land, should most likely be at a depth of 12 to 30 centimeters said, although that is not secure.
The first images transmitted by Phoenix show "flat and desolate landscape that also has mounds," said the specialist on Monday planets Peter Smith.
This surface is produced by the polygonal-shaped grooves in the landscape, caused by expansion and contraction of ice sheets in the basement, he said.
When temperatures drop, ice shrinks, causing cracks in the surface soil. After the depressions fill with dust. Once the temperature rises, the ice extends further. As the grooves in the floor were filled, the centers of the polygons under the pressure rise expanding ice in the soil, forming mounds, said the scientist.
If Phoenix finds ice on these grooves, it would mean that "this region was very wet in the past, what would be a great discovery for our team," he said.
The two U.S. robots Spirit and Opportunity, exploring the past three years the surface of Mars in the area of \u200b\u200bEcuador, also found evidence of the presence of water.
Phoenix is \u200b\u200bequipped with a furnace capable of heating the samples for volatile substances like water and molecules confirm that life could exist in the past of this region.
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