Lander Update

Phoenix Closer to Mars

May 09, 2007

On Monday, May 7, U.S. Air Force pilots flew the Mars Phoenix spacecraft in the belly of a C-17 cargo aircraft from Denver, Colorado to Cape Canaveral, Florida, bringing the newly assembled robot one step closer to succeeding in its relay race to Mars.

Phoenix moved from the mile-high city utilizing the C-17's 170-foot wing-span, and at Kennedy Space Center, rocket scientists will mate the Mars lander to the top of a wingless Delta II rocket that stands over 125-feet (38-meter) high. Space scientists and engineers use the launch pads at Kennedy Space Center to take advantage of the Earth's rotational speed in Florida, which is faster at the equator than anywhere else on Earth.

Relative to the Earth's center, Phoenix will already be moving over 1650 km (1025 miles) per hour on the launch pad, providing a running start toward Mars even before the boosters kick in for liftoff in August.

Related Press Release
Phoenix Mission site
JPL's Basics of Space Flight - For more details on Launch Sites