HR: 0800h
AN: P31A-0195    [Abstracts]
TI: Mars Exploration Program 2007 Phoenix Mission Landing Site Selection
AU: * Arvidson, R E
EM: arvidson@wunder.wustl.edu
AF: Dept. Earth and Planetary Sciences, McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences, Washington University, 1 Brookings Drive, Campus Box 1169, Saint Louis, MO 63130
AU: Seelos, K
EM: deal@levee.wustl.edu
AF: Dept. Earth and Planetary Sciences, McDonnell Center for the Space Sciences, Washington University, 1 Brookings Drive, Campus Box 1169, Saint Louis, MO 63130
AU: Parker, T J
EM: timothy.j.parker@jpl.nasa.gov
AF: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 4800 Oak Grove Dr., Pasadena, CA 91109
AU: Golombek, M P
EM: matthew.p.golombek@jpl.nasa.gov
AF: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 4800 Oak Grove Dr., Pasadena, CA 91109
AU: Kirk, R
EM: rkirk@usgs.gov
AF: U. S. Geological Survey, 2255 N. Gemini Dr., Flagstaff, AZ 86001
AU: Malin, M
EM: malin@msss.com
AF: Malin Space Science Systems, PO Box 910148, San Diego, CA 92191
AU: Smith, M D
EM: michael.d.smith.1@gsfc.nasa.gov
AF: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Code 693, Greenbelt, MD 20771
AU: Tamppari, L
EM: leslie.tamppari@jpl.nasa.gov
AF: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 4800 Oak Grove Dr., Pasadena, CA 91109
AU: Guinn, J
EM: joe.guinn@jpl.nasa.gov
AF: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 4800 Oak Grove Dr., Pasadena, CA 91109
AU: Mellon, M
EM: mellon@argyre.colorado.edu
AF: Lab Atmos/Space Physics, Univeristy of Colorado at Boulder, 392 UCB, Boulder, CO 80301
AU: Paige, D
EM: dap@mars.ucla.edu
AF: Department of Earth and Space Sciences, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095
AU: Boynton, W
EM: wboynton@lpl.arizona.edu
AF: Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721
AU: Rafkin, S
EM: rafkin@boulder.swri.edu
AF: Department of Space Studies, Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302
AU: Michaels, T
EM: tmichael@boulder.swri.edu
AF: Department of Space Studies, Southwest Research Institute, Boulder, CO 80302
AU: Tyler, D
EM: dtyler@coas.oregonstate.edu
AF: Oceanic/Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331
AU: Barnes, J
EM: barnes@coas.oregonstate.edu
AF: Oceanic/Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331
AU: Friedson, J
EM: Andrew.J.Friedson@jpl.nasa.gov
AF: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 4800 Oak Grove Dr., Pasadena, CA 91109
AU: Kass, D M
EM: David.M.Kass@jpl.nasa.gov
AF: Jet Propulsion Laboratory, 4800 Oak Grove Dr., Pasadena, CA 91109
AB: 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.
DE: 5400 PLANETARY SCIENCES: SOLID SURFACE PLANETS
DE: 5422 Ices
DE: 5462 Polar regions
DE: 5470 Surface materials and properties
SC: Planetary Sciences [P]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005