Listen to Phoenix descend
With data recorded on board Mars Express, you can hear Phoenix descend on to the surface of the Red Planet. After being processed by the Mars Express Flight Control Team, the sounds of Phoenix descending are audible, loud and clear.
The data from the Mars Express Lander Communication system (MELACOM) that tracked Phoenix was received on Earth soon after the Phoenix landing.
As Mars Express flew over
Phoenix signal received by Mars Express
613 - esa_animation
This animation shows the signal of Phoenix’s descent, recorded by MELACOM.
The spike in the animation, between frequencies of 7 and 8 kiloHertz, shows the transmission from Phoenix itself.
The lander can be seen in the animation starting from about 342 s after the start time and disappears at about 1085 s. This shows Mars Express picking up on the Phoenix signal and tracking it while closing in on the lander; the closest Mars Express got to Phoenix was 1550 km.
As Mars Express flew away, the lander deployed its parachute, separated from it and landed, the signal from the lander was cut off.
The shift of the spike seen in the animation, is due to the so-called Doppler effect, which is very similar to what we hear when listening to the whistle of a passing train.
The signal was tracked successfully, even during the expected transmission blackout window of the descent, until the lander was out of Mars Express’s view. The transmission blackout window is caused because of ionisation around the probe, which builds up as the lander descends through the atmosphere and only very weak signals come through.
The rest of the recording, the start and the end, contains background noise generated by Mars Express itself.
Notes for editors:
Last modified 07 October 2010
