Scientific Colloquium
April 17, 2009
PETER SMITH
UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA
"The Journey of the Phoenix"
On May 25, 2008, the Phoenix team
began operation of a robotic laboratory on the northern plains of
Mars. Inside the arctic circle at 68 degrees, the undulated
terrain driven by the ice underneath forms polygons. The robotic
arm quickly dug a trench 5 cm deep and exposed the underlying ice
table; samples of soil and ice were retrieved and analyzed in 3
instruments. The results of those instruments reveal an alkaline
environment buffered by Ca-carbonate with nutrients and potential
chemical energy sources. The Phoenix weather station monitored
atmospheric conditions as the sky turned from dusty to cloudy seeing
water ice snowing onto the surface late in the mission. We are
investigating conditions in previous epochs to determine if water could
wet the soil at times when the obliquity exceeds 30 degrees and the
polar cap becomes unstable releasing large volumes of water vapor. This
may be a habitable environment for microbes if liquid water is
periodically available.