With our free press under threat and federal funding for public media gone, your support matters more than ever. Help keep the LAist newsroom strong, become a monthly member or increase your support today.
This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
'The Phoenix Has Landed, The Phoenix Has Landed!'
Update: "The Phoenix has landed, the Phoenix has landed. Welcome to the northern plains of Mars!" exclaimed EDL Communications Lead Richard Kornfeld. Another woman standing there watching was wow-ed: "That touchdown was phenomenal." It feels like being a room full of lottery winners -- everyone cheered, hugged and then someone broke out candy Mars Bars. The room's silence is now abuzz with chatter, some reporters are high-fiving, and cameramen are surrounding NASA experts for comments.
Other local coverage from friends of LAist are here too. Dave Bullock from Wired and Sciencedude Gary Robbins from the OC Register.
The first images, if they come through, are expected to his NASA at 6:43 p.m. tonight.
Sponsored message
Original Post: There's excitement in the air today at NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena. The Mars Phoenix Lander is about to hit Mars' atmosphere and soon will go into the "7 minutes of terror" where it will travel 13,000 miles per hour and hopefully land safely on the surface. The purpose of this mission is to look for habitability, but not necessarily life. "If we find life, that's great," explained Dr. Randii Wessen, a program system engineer who described himself to us as a "Space Weenie." Phoenix has seven instruments, two of which that are labs. One will test gasses and the other will study dirt after the Phoenix digs two feet underground (where lithotrophs could be, which would be a sign of life). Previous missions have landed at higher or normal elevation levels, but today, it is is landing in an area which is suspected to be where an ocean used to be in the northern hemisphere.
Here in the pressroom, it's silent except for the light strokes of keyboards from CNN, Wired, National Geographic, OC Register and other outlets. But when Phoenix passed a critical point outside the entry of the atmosphere, cheers from the control room video feed and within the pressroom were blurted out. Now, we all stand by as Phoenix enters the atmosphere...
Photo by Zach Behrens/LAist
At LAist, we focus on what matters to our community: clear, fair, and transparent reporting that helps you make decisions with confidence and keeps powerful institutions accountable.
Your support for independent local news is critical. With federal funding for public media gone, LAist faces a $1.7 million yearly shortfall. Speaking frankly, how much reader support we receive now will determine the strength of this reliable source of local information now and for years to come.
This work is only possible with community support. Every investigation, service guide, and story is made possible by people like you who believe that local news is a public good and that everyone deserves access to trustworthy local information.
That’s why we’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Thank you for understanding how essential it is to have an informed community and standing up for free press.
Your support for independent local news is critical. With federal funding for public media gone, LAist faces a $1.7 million yearly shortfall. Speaking frankly, how much reader support we receive now will determine the strength of this reliable source of local information now and for years to come.
This work is only possible with community support. Every investigation, service guide, and story is made possible by people like you who believe that local news is a public good and that everyone deserves access to trustworthy local information.
That’s why we’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission. It just takes 1 minute to donate below.
Thank you for understanding how essential it is to have an informed community and standing up for free press.
Senior Vice President News, Editor in Chief
