The Robotic Arm that uncovered water ice on Mars. The development of the Phoenix Mars Lander’s Robotic Arm (RA) was a collaborative effort between NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Alliance Spacesystems and Honeybee Robotics. Dr. Robert Bonitz of JPL oversaw the development of the RA’s control avionics, flight software, biobarrier and integration and testing. … Continue reading DAY 10: THE ROBOTIC ARM
Polar Caps. Carbon Dioxide Ice. The Green Valley. Some describe Mars as a sister planet to Earth. Like Earth, Mars has Northern and Southern polar regions consisting of water ice. Mars also has carbon dioxide ice within its polar caps, which makes it uniquely distinct from Earth. The changes within the Martian season prompts the … Continue reading DAY 9: The North Pole of Mars
An EDL System. An ice cream cone shaped aeroshell. The thin atmosphere of Mars. (Erik Bailey) The main purpose of EDL [Entry, Descent and Landing] is to take a spacecraft that is traveling at 12,500 miles an hour and bring it to a screeching halt in a soft way, in a very short amount of … Continue reading DAY 8: The Entry
Beginning May 7 through May 31, the Robinson Family Aerospace Mission will be featuring Mars related poetry, music, artwork and more as part of our May celebration. Continue reading DAY 7: ART SHOWCASE
“It was the most beautiful thing I’ve seen.” In celebration of InSight’s successful launch, the Robinson Family Aerospace Mission reflects on the launch of the Phoenix Mars Lander. August 4, 2007, at 5:26 a.m. ET, the Phoenix Mars Lander launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, escorted by a Boeing Delta II rocket. … Continue reading DAY 6: The Rise of the Phoenix
Liftoff! At 4:05 a.m. PT/7:05 a.m. ET, InSight blasted off the launch pad of Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, heading towards the Red Planet. InSight’s launch from the Golden State made history as the first interplanetary mission to launch from the West Coast. Those residing in Southern California, from Santa Barbara to Los Angeles … Continue reading DAY 5: The Launch
First CubeSat. As launch day approaches for the InSight Mars Lander, it also approaches for NASA’s technological experiment, MarCO, otherwise known as Mars Cube One. MarCOs are twin interplanetary CubeSats that are designed to track InSight’s movements before landing on Mars. The nano-spacecrafts will follow InSight as they take their own path to the Red … Continue reading DAY 4: MarCO
Countdown to Launch! Elysium Planitia, Mars, will soon be the home of NASA’s new Martian mission: InSight. The InSight Mars Lander is expected to launch Saturday, May 5, 2018, and begin its mission to study Mars. InSight, which is short for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, will analyze the crust, mantle … Continue reading DAY 3: InSight Mars Lander
140 Students. Visions of Mars. A Legacy. Oct. 31, 2006, two months into the school year, The Planetary Society issued a press release to people around the globe to fly their names to Mars via the Phoenix Mars Lander. With a mission to promote space exploration, The Planetary Society afforded their members and beyond the … Continue reading DAY 2: Phoenix Kids
The Phoenix Mars Lander was a stepping stone for NASA. Continue reading DAY 1: PHOENIX MARS LANDER
Robinson Family Aerospace Mission 