Phoenix Mars Lander: Hunt for Red Planet ice

Tasting Mars
Once Phoenix secures samples, it breaks out the first-ever wet chemistry lab on Mars. The Microscopy, Electrochemistry, and Conductivity Analyzer allows scientists to analyze loose regolith soil for levels of acidity, minerals, and conductivity, using single-use beakers the size of teacups where Martian soil dissolved in water can be soaked, stirred and measured.

MECA will also use atomic-force microscopes that can examine the Martian soil down to 10 nanometers, or 10,000 times thinner than a sheet of paper — the smallest scale ever examined on Mars. Signs of clay or other material in the loose regolith could indicate the past presence of water.

Another MECA instrument can detect any lingering wetness in the regolith soil, and examine how heat changes within the soil. The thermal and electrical conductivity probe resembles a spiked "knuckle" that the robotic arm can dig into the excavated area.

"The upper surface stuff done by MECA can look through the dry environment for remnants of water," Gross said. "TEGA [Thermal and Evolved Gas Analyzer] will actually look for the water."

The robotic arm will feed soil and ice into eight TEGA ovens, each the size of a ballpoint pen ink cartridge. The one-use ovens can then slowly heat the samples up to 1,800 degrees F, which allows scientists to measure and analyze any changes from solid to liquid to gas. The TEGA tool also contains a new spectrometer that can sniff heated gases for their chemical signature.

With six months to study Mars and only a limited number of ovens and beakers, Phoenix researchers plan to take extra care in choosing exactly which bits of Martian soil and ice to test.

"It's called negotiation," Smith has said. "We'll get in a room and we'll negotiate. If it comes up to me, I'll make the decision."

Most of the Phoenix mission's new technology rests in the Meteorological Station, which can bounce powerful laser pulses off dust and ice particles in the Martian atmosphere. The reflected pulses will provide information about the atmospheric particles.

The combination of old technology and newer instruments required a lot of "system engineering making sure everything would play together," Gross noted. But the proud international heritage of instruments from the United States, Canada and Germany will hopefully help Phoenix hit Martian pay dirt after its nail-biting descent.

"Once it lands, it doesn't end," Gross said.

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