NASA Phoenix Lander prepares to dig for Ice on Mars

NASA achieved an incredible milestone Sunday, with the successful landing of the Phoenix probe in Mars’ Arctic Circle. The Phoenix is equipped with a robotic shovel. Once it starts digging, scientists hope that the probe will find water in the form of ice embedded in the soil samples that it collects. A quick look at the NASA website reveals that the Phoenix mission is part of a larger “Follow the Water” strategy in preparation for the ultimate goal of Human Exploration of Mars. The website has a lot of really cool images and information. Check it out.

The Phoenix is not alone on this mission. There are at least 2 human-made satellites in orbit around Mars communicating with Phoenix: the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) and the Mars Odyssey (MO). According to an article I read today in the San Francisco Chronicle, the Phoenix temporarily lost contact with the MRO, and had to fall back on the MO. According to the Chronicle, the Manager of the Mars Exploration Program Fuk Li said the communication glitch was probably caused by “high-speed cosmic rays interfering with the [MRO's] ultra-high-frequency transmissions.”

Something about this statement seemed a little off to me.

First of all, don’t all cosmic rays travel at high speed? The galaxy takes long enough to traverse as it is. I can’t imagine that any cosmic rays have time to dawdle. Second, the use of the term “ultra-high-frequency transmission” is just showboating, since UHF is just another way of saying “TV signal”. And finally is the use of the term “cosmic rays” itself. Is that even a legitimate term?

So I Googled “cosmic rays” and indeed it is a real term. I stand corrected on that point. But Wikipedia also notes,

“Because of the metaphysical connotations of the word “cosmic”, the very name of these particles enables their misinterpretation by the public, giving them an aura of mysterious powers. Were [cosmic rays] merely referred to as “high-speed protons and atomic nuclei” this might not be so. In fiction, cosmic rays have been used as a catchall, mostly in comics (notably the Marvel Comics group the Fantastic Four), as a source for mutation and therefore the powers gained by being bombarded with them.

So there you have it.

Congratulations NASA. You are awesome. Best of luck on the rest of this mission.

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