Part Of Mars Phoenix Lander Build By Engineers From York UniversityOttawa - (eCanadaNow) - -As part of the team that contributed instruments to the Mars Phoenix Lander, which is scheduled to soft land on Mars on May 25th, scientists from York University can hardly contain their excitement.
This is the first time that instruments contributed by Canadians have been part of a potential successful Mars landing. There was another effort with a Japanese Mars mission but it failed to connect and missed its appointment with the Mars planet.
Two important parts of the Mars Lander were constructed by scientists from York University.
One is “Lidar,” a device similar to Radar but using laser light, it emits pencil size light beams of laser light to study the atmosphere and dust clouds on mars.
The other devices is a mini sized weather station that will assist in taking accurate readings of air pressure, wind and temperature, on a day by day basis in the area of the Martian Arctic.
Each of the instruments has an official part of the mission and is scheduled for a full 92-day mission lifespan. Canadian and associated team space officials are hoping for a much longer lifespan before the harsh Martian conditions cause them to cease operatio
