Mars landing a success
Nasa’s Phoenix spacecraft has successfully landed near Mars’ north pole for a 90-day digging mission.
Mission control at Nasa’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory celebrated after the Phoenix Mars Lander signalled back that it had survived today’s fiery entry.
Phoenix will be the first spacecraft to study the Martian arctic plains. Unlike Nasa’s mobile twin rovers, the lander will stay in one spot.
It will use its robotic arm to dig into the permafrost to determine if the polar environment has the ingredients needed for life to emerge.
"In my dreams it couldn't have gone as perfectly as it went,'' project manager Barry Goldstein said. "It went right down the middle."
Among Phoenix’s first tasks were to check its power supply and the health of its science instruments, and unfurl its solar panels after the dust settled.
Mission managers said there would be a two-hour blackout period as Phoenix conducted the checks while out of view from Earth.
Phoenix plunged into the Martian atmosphere at more than 12,000 mph after a 10-month, 422 million-mile voyage through space.
It performed a choreographed dance that included unfurling its parachute, shedding its heat shield and backshell, and firing thrusters to slow to a 5mph touchdown.
It’s the first successful soft landing on Mars since the twin Viking landers touched down in 1976.
Nasa’s twin rovers, which successfully landed on Mars four years ago, used a combination of parachutes and cushioned air bags to bounce to the surface.
