On Sun, 25 May 2008 19:00:36 -0500, Damon Hill

damon1S... at (no spam) comcast.netnet> wrote:
There's background talk that the Phoenix has landed with a 40
degree tilt...?

...*Quarter* degree.

OM
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Damon Hill <damon1S... at (no spam) comcast.netnet> wrote innews:Xns9AA9AD0954D0Edamon161attbicom at (no spam) 127.0.0.1:

There's background talk that the Phoenix has landed with a 40
degree tilt...?

Make that a quarter-degree tilt, just about dead flat.

"kT" <cos... at (no spam) lifeform.org> wrote in message

news:88d22093-b3e7-4c05-801d-09fab3ddefdc at (no spam) y38g2000hsy.googlegroups.com...

On May 25, 7:05 pm, Damon Hill <damon1S... at (no spam) comcast.netnet> wrote:
Damon Hill <damon1S... at (no spam) comcast.netnet> wrote
innews:Xns9AA9AD0954D0Edamon161attbicom at (no spam) 127.0.0.1:

There's background talk that the Phoenix has landed with a 40
degree tilt...?

Make that a quarter-degree tilt, just about dead flat.

I'm guessing a flat featureless plain in all directions, and ground so
rock hard they won't even be able to dig in it.

A flat horizon might mean it's sitting on what was the bottom of
an ocean. Like at Meridiani. Except the water ice is still there
at this site. And like an arctic site, each scape deeper gives
the history of the atmosphere.

The ideal place for life on Mars should be just under the surface
where it's protected from the radiation and cold, but also where
water ice is near the surface. But more abstractly, life needs to be
in a transitional environment. Where change is neither zero or constant.
But a combination of the two. The first meter at the site should be
60% to 80% water ice. Who knows, solar radiation may be able
to warm a layer just underground enough for the ice to melt
at times.

Think of it as a potential Meridiani site except that the underground
water ice hasn't long ago dissipated, but is still there.
I think they chose very well from an astrobiological perspective.
The rovers were oriented around geology, this is about
habitability now and the recent past.

Screw Mars, let's go
to Ceres!

The big answer is on Mars.

Are we alone?

There's background talk that the Phoenix has landed with a 40
degree tilt...?

Early data suggests that touchdown was successful and is working
on the surface of Mars. Much more deployment of equipment and
data to follow.

(whew!)

There's background talk that the Phoenix has landed with a 40
degree tilt...?

The first images returned at around 7p.m. Pacific time should show the
solar panels. They want to confirm that they deployed OK.

On May 25, 7:05 pm, Damon Hill <damon1S... at (no spam) comcast.netnet> wrote:
Damon Hill <damon1S... at (no spam) comcast.netnet> wrote
innews:Xns9AA9AD0954D0Edamon161attbicom at (no spam) 127.0.0.1:

There's background talk that the Phoenix has landed with a 40
degree tilt...?

Make that a quarter-degree tilt, just about dead flat.

I'm guessing a flat featureless plain in all directions, and ground so
rock hard they won't even be able to dig in it.

Screw Mars, let's go
to Ceres!

Pictures are now flowing in and on display; solar panels are
deployed and the camera mast is up, showing a view of the
local terrain. Mars-ian?

--Damon