May 28th radio show online - "Mars Phoenix Lander"

Available here, this episode is in honor of the Mars Phoenix Lander which successfully reached the surface of Mars. On this show, I covered:

• Phoenix Mars Lander: Goals and scientific instruments on the Phoenix Mars Lander, history of spacecraft sent to Mars, landing procedure, detection of first contact with Phoenix Mars Lander (link), first commands and weather reports for Martian surface, (really cool) picture of Phoenix Mars Lander landing taken by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (link)
• Calendar of upcoming Astronomy/science events in the greater Poughkeepsie and New York City areas
• Mars: The Phoenix Mars Lander is by far not the only spacecraft currently studying Mars, with orbiters using top quality cameras to map the Martian surface, radar system to study what lies beneath (link). Recent discoveries include - regularly spaced layering in Martian rocks appears to be result of changes in climate due to changes in Mars's orbit around the Sun (link); stepped delta formations on Mars surface caused by rapid water release, like a dam breaking; ancient Martian like identified inside Holden crater (link); Martian rovers detect a lot of salt in Martian surface which suggests that any liquid water that previously existed on Martian surface was probably too acidic to support the formation of life (link, article); detection of chlorides on Martian surface suggest past presence of liquid water (article).

Thank you very much for listening, and hope you enjoyed this program. I will do my best on future programs to keep you up-to-date with regard to the Phoenix Mars Lander, which is supposed to accomplish all of its main science goals in just 90 days! As always, please email or leave below any questions, comments, or concerns you might have.

Take care.