Dirt For Test Present, But Sensors Don't Detect It Reaching Testing Oven

Scientists are attempting to determine what could be going on to prevent Martian dirt scooped by the Phoenix lander's robot arm from reaching a tiny testing oven.

Photos released by the University of Arizona team overseeing the mission showed a scoopful of dirt sitting on and around the open oven door after being dumped by the craft's 8-foot robot arm. The soil was in the right place, as ANN reported Saturday, but none reached the tiny chamber of the oven, one of eight aboard the lander.

This first sample is one of many experiments designed to test soil using the ovens. The Associated Press reports the units are designed to heat soil and test gasses for signs of water or organic compounds that could the foundations for life on the planet.

William Boynton of the University of Arizona, who is overseeing the oven experiments in Tucson, said nothing seems to be wrong with the lander's robot arm and its ability to deliver the dirt, as it landed where it was supposed to.

Instruments show a vibrator on the screen -- designed to help shake soil into the chamber -- was working. But the electronic sensor to detect dirt falling into the chamber didn't report any particles.

"We think everything is working correctly, although we don't really know for sure," Boynton said Saturday. "We're a little bit concerned about this, but we have some other things to check out."

The teams overseeing the experiments plan to spend several days going over possible reasons for the apparent failure, Boynton added.

A possible explanation is the dirt may be too dense or compacted to be vibrated loose and pass through the screen. The screen is to prevent anything but small particles from reaching the oven. Additionally the vibrator could be sending incorrect readings that it was working when it was not.

If the oven turns out to be unusable, there are seven other ovens available for the mission's primary experiments.

While troubleshooting continues, scientists will devote attention to using the backhoe-like robotic arm to take close-up photos of the surface and perform additional digging.

As ANN reported, Phoenix landed in Mars' northern plains May 25 for a three-month mission to determine if the northern permafrost region may have the ability to support life.

The $420 million mission is being overseen by the University of Arizona, the first public university to lead a Mars exploration mission, with support from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, CA.

FMI: www.nasa.gov/phoenix, http://phoenix.lpl.arizona.edu