Phoenix Lander Hardware: EDL +22
NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona
Phoenix Lander Hardware: EDL +22
PSP_008591_2485  Science Theme: Future Exploration/Landing Sites
MRO’s HiRISE camera acquired this image of the Phoenix landing site 22 hours after landing. The image shows three unusual features; seen also is the image acquired 11 hours after landing. These three features were not present in a pre-landing HiRISE image.

We expect to find three main pieces of hardware: the parachute attached to the backshell, the heat shield, and the lander itself.

The parachute (bottom) is easy to identify because it is especially bright, and this image also clearly shows the backshell. We can even see the stripes on the parachute.

The dark marking (middle right) appears most consistent with disturbance of the ground from impact and bouncing of the heat shield, which fell from a height of about 13 kilometers.

The last object (top) is the lander, and we can clearly see the solar arrays on each side. The solar arrays were relatively dark in the image acquired 11 hours after landing, but are brighter than the Mars surface in this daytime image acquired with the HiRISE blue-green filter.

There are dark halos around all three locations, perhaps due to disturbing a thin dust coating. North is about 7 degrees to the right of straight up in this image and illumination is from the lower left.

ANAGLYPH IMAGE
HiRISE has created an anaglyph image of the landing site.



Written by: Alfred McEwen  (27 May 2008)

 
Acquisition date
26 May 2008

Local Mars time
14:23

Latitude (centered)
68.208°

Longitude (East)
234.256°

Spacecraft altitude
315.1 km (195.8 miles)

Original image scale range
34.6 cm/pixel (with 1 x 1 binning) so objects ~104 cm across are resolved

Map projected scale
25 cm/pixel

Map projection
Polarstereographic

Emission angle
25.4°

Phase angle
71.7°

Solar incidence angle
49°, with the Sun about 41° above the horizon

Solar longitude
77.1°, Northern Spring

For non-map projected images
North azimuth:  104°
Sub-solar azimuth:  325.5°
JPEG
Black and white
map projected  non-map

IRB color
map projected  non-map

Merged IRB
map projected

Merged RGB
map projected

RGB color
non-map projected

JP2
Black and white
map-projected   (2409MB)

IRB color
map-projected   (1217MB)

JP2 EXTRAS
Black and white
map-projected  (1083MB)
non-map           (734MB)

IRB color
map projected  (386MB)
non-map           (753MB)

Merged IRB
map projected  (1016MB)

Merged RGB
map-projected  (1056MB)

RGB color
non map           (600MB)
ANAGLYPHS
Map-projected, reduced-resolution
Full resolution JP2 download
Anaglyph details page

DIGITAL TERRAIN MODEL (DTM)
DTM details page

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
B&W label
Color label
Merged IRB label
Merged RGB label
EDR products
HiView

NB
IRB: infrared-red-blue
RGB: red-green-blue
About color products (PDF)

Black & white is 5 km across; enhanced color about 1 km
For scale, use JPEG/JP2 black & white map-projected images

USAGE POLICY
All of the images produced by HiRISE and accessible on this site are within the public domain: there are no restrictions on their usage by anyone in the public, including news or science organizations. We do ask for a credit line where possible:
NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona

POSTSCRIPT
NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Calif., manages the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, Washington. The HiRISE camera was built by Ball Aerospace and Technology Corporation and is operated by the University of Arizona.