Mission design of the Phoenix Mars Scout mission

The Phoenix Mars Scout Lander, the first robotic explorer in NASA's “Scout Program,” launched on 4 August 2007, will land on the northern plains of Mars in late May 2008, prior to the northern Martian summer. The Phoenix mission “follows the water” by landing in a region where NASA's Mars Odyssey orbiter has discovered evidence of ice‐rich soil very near the Martian surface. For 3 months after arrival, the fixed Lander will perform in situ investigations that will characterize the chemistry of the materials at the local surface, subsurface, and atmosphere, and will identify potential evidence of key elements significant to the biological potential of Mars. The Lander will employ a robotic arm to dig to the ice layer, and will analyze the acquired samples using a suite of deck‐mounted science instruments. The development of the baseline strategy to achieve the objectives of this mission involves the integration of a variety of elements into a coherent mission plan. These elements are involved in defining plans for the launch phase, interplanetary cruise, atmospheric entry, descent and landing, landing site selection, and the surface operations. An overview of the integrated mission plan, from launch through surface operations, is described.