..."Skittish Tombs, real skittish..."h...

..."Skittish Tombs, real skittish..."

This is a photo of an engineering model of the Thermal and Evolved-Gas Analyzer (TEGA) instrument on board NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander. This view shows a TEGA oven-loading mechanism beneath the input screen. The screen on the 1-and-1/2-inch-wide funnel has been removed in this model to show the whirligig that is suspended from the screw on the shaft. The black hole underneath is the porthole that leads to the oven.

A tiny electric current compresses and releases a spring on the shaft. As the shaft spins, the screw bumps the screen, breaking up clumps of material into fine particles so they pass through the one millimeter-square screen openings. The energy applied to the tapping screen is about 0.02 inch per pound, or the force needed to move a one-pound mass two-hundredths of an inch.

The screw also lifts the three-bladed whirligig so that it jostles fine particles and keeps the oven port open to aid the loading process.

The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.

Image Credit: University of Arizona

Look at 81 above and study that soil in the shovel. Actually LOOK at it now that Horton put color to it. Its exactly the same consistency as the Rovers encountered years ago. Very clean cut edging when parted, as in 'wheel or shovel'. This soil is very much like wet cement consistency but not the same material function. I suspect the ice below the surface keeps the soil in this constant state, with an ever ready supply of just the right amount of moisture passing through it to enhance the rich soil salts to produce a brine mix to give it that consistency. Dust it ain't. We never saw dust trails or plumes from the Rovers' behinds', especially from Oppy traversing the dunes.

The Phoenix designers got something wrong, at least the oven stuff. They did not study the soil pics from the Rovers very well. If the remaining 7 ovens have the same screen at the bay doors, there ain't going to be any so-called soil tests. If anyone of the UofA professors in charge of the ovens had the sense that some conditions are worth changing if difficulty set in to test the soil so lets leave at least 3 ovens without a screen. And to place the screen at the opening of the bay doors is certainly making a mess of it all. OK-OK there was a wonderful little video that indicated the way it all should work. But that's a contrived video, it did not work out that way in reality. Video's are good for fooling people.

The shovel has sensors on it, why not get a ground temp in the hole it dug and at least send some data back for hungry Earthman appetites. FEED ME! FEED ME! FEED ME!

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