Phoenix Mission’s Last Days

I’ve been following the last days of the Phoenix lander near the Martian north polar cap. It’s continuing to communicate with its controllers each day, even as it runs out of power as Martian winter approaches. Any day could be its last day, particularly as the amount of sunlight Phoenix needs to recharge its batteries diminishes.  Controllers are making the best of the situation by monitoring the weather as it changes — exactly the sort of information about the planet’s climate that is useful to know in the long run. Lately the lander has been operating in temperatures as low as -89C; the high has been around -46 C.

For the time being Phoenix is going to sleep each night and waking each morning to catch a few rays to get the energy to phone home. As winter comes on in full force at the Mars north pole, the conditions will get too severe for the lander’s circuits and machinery. It won’t be long before Phoenix whispers its last goodbye.