Space/Science — HabitableZone

Space/Science » in reply to The Phoenix mission had a press release this morning.

The Phoenix mission time-line

My co-worker's father works at NASA and e-mailed us this info;

'MARS PHOENIX LANDER' TIMELINE times Central
NOTE: Navigational adjustments before Sunday could shift times by up to ~ 30 seconds. Mars event times are listed in "Earth-receive time" (ERT) rather than "spacecraft event time" (SCET). This means the listed time incorporates the interval for radio signals traveling at the speed of light to reach Earth from Mars. On Sunday the two planets are 171 million miles apart (275 million kilometers), which means it takes the signal 15 minutes and 20 seconds to reach Earth. For some spacecraft events, engineers will not receive immediate radio confirmation.

Saturday May 24

2:00 p.m. NASA TV: Landing preview press briefing

9:46 p.m. Trajectory correction maneuver opportunity

Sunday May 25

10:46 a.m. Trajectory correction maneuver opportunity

2:00 p.m. NASA TV: Mars Phoenix Lander briefing

5:30 p.m. NASA TV: "Live" coverage Mars Phoenix Lander Landing

6:16 p.m. Propulsion system pressurization

6:38 p.m. Begin "bent-pipe" data transmission relay through

Mars Odyssey craft to Goldstone Deep Space Network station

6:38 p.m. Green Bank, WV, radio telescope listening for direct UHF signal

6:39 p.m. Cruise stage separation

6:40 p.m. Spacecraft turns to attitude for atmospheric entry

6:46:33 p.m. Spacecraft enters atmosphere (Altitude 77 miles / 12,527 mph)

6:48:55 p.m. Peak heating (time approximate)

(Likely blackout period from 6:47 – 6:49 p.m.)

6:50:15 p.m. Parachute deploys (plus or minus about 13 seconds - 7.8 miles)

6:50:30 p.m. Heat shield jettisoned (plus or minus about 13 seconds - 6.8 miles / 268 mph)

6:50:40 p.m. Legs deploy (plus or minus about 13 seconds)

6:51:30 p.m. Radar activated

6:53:09 p.m. Lander separation (plus or minus about 46 seconds - 3,215 feet / 125 mph)

(Transmission gap for switch to helix antenna from 6:53:08 to 6:53:14 p.m.)

6:53:12 p.m. Descent thrusters throttle up

6:53:34 p.m. Constant-velocity phase starts (plus or minus about 46 seconds)

6:53:52 p.m. TOUCHDOWN (plus or minus about 46 seconds)

6:54:52 p.m. Lander radio off (plus or minus about 46 seconds)

7:13 p.m. Begin opening solar arrays (during radio silence)

7:28 p.m. Begin NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter playback of Phoenix

transmissions recorded during entry, descent and landing

(data for analysis not ready until several hours later)

7:30 p.m. Begin Europe's Mars Express spacecraft playback of Phoenix

transmissions recorded during entry, descent and landing

(data for analysis not ready until several hours later)

7:30 p.m. Post-landing poll of subsystem teams about spacecraft status

8:43 p.m. Mars Odyssey "bent-pipe" relay of transmission from Phoenix, with

engineering data and possibly including first images. Data could

take up to ~30 additional minutes in pipeline before being accessible.

If all goes well, live television feed from control room may show first images as they are received. The first images to be taken after landing will be of solar arrays, to check deployment status.

11:00 p.m. NASA TV: Post landing press briefing - First Downlink of Data

Monday May 26

5:00 a.m. NASA TV: Mars Phoenix Lander Live Satellite Interviews

1:00 p.m. NASA TV: Mars Phoenix Lander Update briefing

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