What lander's instruments will do
There are six instruments on the Phoenix Mars Lander, four of which the University of Arizona helped build:
Robotic Arm
Nearly 8 feet long, the arm is a key instrument because it has a shovel device, like a backhoe, that will scoop up the soil and water-ice samples for the scientists to study. The arm was built by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. It is designed to dig trenches, and scoop up and deliver the samples to two of the lander's other instruments for detailed chemical and geological analysis.
Robotic Arm Camera
Built by the UA and the Max Planck Institute of Germany, the camera is just above the robotic arm's scoop. It will provide close-up, full-color images of the Martian surface, prospective soil and water-ice samples, collected samples in the robotic-arm scoop, and the floor and sidewalls of the trench to examine fine-scale texturing and layering.
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Meteorological Station
The Canadian Space Agency invested $37 million in a weather station on the lander. Throughout the Phoenix surface operations, the station will record the daily weather of the Martian northern plains. The station will provide information on the current state of the polar atmosphere and how water is cycled between the solid and gaseous states. The instruments on the station include a meteorological mast and a light-detection device that measures clouds and particles in the atmosphere by sending up pulses of light that bounce back data.
Thermal and Evolved Gas Analyzer (TEGA)
Referred to by researchers as the Easy-Bake Oven, the Thermal and Evolved Gas Analyzer will try to determine the elemental makeup of Martian soil by heating samples to roughly 1,000 degrees Celsius — about 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit. In heating the samples, elements will begin to move from solid form to a gas. Researchers will be able to determine what elements are in the soil by measuring the temperatures at which the transformations occur. The device also can show the concentration and mass of elements in the soil. The instrument suite was built by the UA and the University of Texas-Dallas.
Microscopy, Electrochemistry and Conductivity Analyzer (MECA)
The MECA, built by the JPL, the UA and the University of Neuchatel in Switzerland, takes needle-sized soil samples and mixes them with water and other substances that cause reactions to determine how abundant minerals such as magnesium are in the Martian soil. Acting like a blender of sorts, the MECA will allow researchers to home in on particular elements, including carbon and water molecules. Using a microscope, researchers will get an up-close look at the structure of ice and clay on Mars, possibly providing insight into whether liquid water ever existed.
Surface Stereoscope Imager (SSI)
Acting as the lander's main eyes on the ground, the UA-built imager will produce high-resolution images of the lander's surroundings. Researchers will combine images taken by the camera to create panoramic views of Mars' northern polar region. Beyond providing the big picture to researchers, the imager is able to zoom in on the soil around the lander. The imager can examine soil using filters that analyze the wavelengths of elements in the ground. The zoom function of the imager will be crucial, as mission scientists will use the pictures to determine where the lander's robotic arm will dig for soil samples.
Sources: NASA/JPL/UA/ Canadian Space Agency
