On May 25, 2008, the Phoenix Mars Lander successfully touched down on Mars, giving the world a fresh glimpse of the Red Planet's polar region. ESRI participated in an event to celebrate this historic craft on the inaugural day of its mission.
Redlands, California-On
May 25, 2008, the Phoenix Mars Lander successfully touched down on Mars, giving
the world a fresh glimpse of the Red Planet's polar region. ESRI participated
in an event to celebrate this historic craft on the inaugural day of its
mission.
Hundreds gathered
in the auditorium of the Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie in Paris, France,
to hear narration of the phases of descent in real time. ESRI was invited to
display images of the landing area, taken by the Mars Global Surveyor since
1997, with ArcGIS Explorer. ArcGIS Explorer displayed the images in 3D, which
gave the audience a clearer understanding of why the Phoenix Lander team chose
the site.
ESRI France
participated in the event because ESRI ArcGIS Explorer can import geodata,
including data about other planets and moons, and view it in 3D. These
photorealistic displays engaged the audience by showing the exact perspective
of the probe as it descended. During the event, Gilles Dawidowicz, planetary
scientist, French Astronomical Society, described the imagery and its
importance to Martian mission planning.
"Phoenix is a wonderful
space mission, as it will be the first time we will 'touch' Martian
water," says Dawidowicz. "That's probably why people are so
fascinated by this lander. Water is an essential prerequisite for life and will
play a key role in manned expeditions to Mars."
The Phoenix Mars
Lander's primary mission is to research the history of water on Mars.
For more
information on ArcGIS Explorer, visitwww.esri.com/arcgisexplorer.
ESRI France Participates in Phoenix Mars Landing Event
June 18, 2008
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