Goodbye Mars Phoenix
October 30th, 2008 by matt
I’ve been following the Mars Phoenix on Twitter for a few months now. I was there when the Phoenix excitedly announced it had found ice on Mars. I was there when it couldn’t get sample to fall into its oven until the team figured out a way to clear the funnel to the oven. I was there when it talked like a pirate. I was there when the Phoenix announced that it would, eventually, cease to function due to the harsh Martian winter. Now that day has just about arrived and I’m more emotional about it then I thought I would be.
You see, the Mars Phoenix has just about become a friend. I feel like, through its Twitter updates, I’ve gotten to know it, to know about how it “feels” about its mission and its discoveries. It really feels like I’m losing someone who is meaningful to me. The Mars Phoenix has been personified so well that, at times, you forget that it’s a machine. It’s a strange and wonderful feeling.
The Mars Phoenix is about to go into “Lazarus mode,” which means there is a slight chance it will wake up when the Martian winter is over and the temperatures rise enough and there is enough sunlight to power its systems again. No one knows whether the Mars Phoenix will survive or not. I think most believe are cautiously optimistic that it will, but realistically believe it won’t. I hope it does. I look forward to, a few months from now, seeing a new tweet from my friend.