ridingwithrobots
The Sprinkle Technique
The Phoenix Mars lander has traveled millions of miles, survived a dangerous entry at hypersonic speeds, and successfully set up operations on the surface of an alien world. After all that, what's stopping it now? Dirt clods. The Martian soil samples it came to examine turn out to be too clumpy to pour into its onboard laboratories using the planned procedures.
The clumpiness could be a sign the soil was once wet, which would be an important find, but meanwhile, how to examine it? In this animation, engineers are experimenting with a technique of gently sprinkling the sample onto the deck of the lander. That might do the trick.
Sent by: Phoenix | From: Mars | Credit: NASA/JPL/UA
Added to www.ridingwithrobots.org June 10, 2008.
The Sprinkle Technique
The Phoenix Mars lander has traveled millions of miles, survived a dangerous entry at hypersonic speeds, and successfully set up operations on the surface of an alien world. After all that, what's stopping it now? Dirt clods. The Martian soil samples it came to examine turn out to be too clumpy to pour into its onboard laboratories using the planned procedures.
The clumpiness could be a sign the soil was once wet, which would be an important find, but meanwhile, how to examine it? In this animation, engineers are experimenting with a technique of gently sprinkling the sample onto the deck of the lander. That might do the trick.
Sent by: Phoenix | From: Mars | Credit: NASA/JPL/UA
Added to www.ridingwithrobots.org June 10, 2008.