Mars Update (broadcast Friday, June 13th, 2008)

Drawing of the Thermal and Evolved-Gas Analyzer (TEGA) on Phoenix U. Arizona

Researchers working with the Mars Phoenix lander to study the soil of Mars' polar region are making progress. On Wednesday, the team announced that it had been able to shake a sample of soil into a tiny onboard oven, which will then be sealed and heated to analyze the soil sample for ice content and the presence of various chemical compounds. The team also sent a soil sample into a microscope on the lander, and are expecting the first closeup pictures of the soil that will help them learn more about its makeup. In this segment, we'll talk with the head of the Phoenix mission and get an update on the research. Teachers, find more information about using Science Friday as a classroom resource in the Kids' Connection.

Guests

Peter Smith
Principal Investigator
NASA's Phoenix Mars Mission
Senior Research Scientist, Lunar and Planetary Laboratory
University of Arizona
Tucson, Arizona

Related Links

Segment produced by:Charles Bergquist

Image: The Phoenix lander is sampling soil from trenches it has dug in soil near the Martian north pole.
NASA / JPL-Caltech / U. Arizona / TAMU

Image: Comparision of airfall dust (left) to Martian soil (right) taken by the Optical Microscope on NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander. At the microscope's resolution, similar particles are seen in both samples, suggesting that the soil is formed from settling dust.
NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona