Media Relations
York University
Toronto, Canada

Media contact:
Melissa Hughes, 416 736 2100 x22097

May 29, 2008

Phoenix lidar transmits first data from Mars: it's dusty up there

TORONTO -- A sophisticated, Canadian-built laser instrument aboard the NASA
Phoenix lander has transmitted its first data from Mars to Earth -- a
milestone for Canadian scientists, led by York University professor Jim
Whiteway.

Whiteway released the first measurements from Phoenix's lidar (laser-based
light-detection-and-ranging) instrument during a NASA media briefing today
at 2 pm EDT.

"The Canadian team is walking on moonbeams today," Whiteway said.
"We can
now add dust and cloud measurements to our reports, because the lidar is up
and running."

The lidar, which measures dust, ground fog, and clouds by shooting rapid
pulses of laser light into Mars' atmosphere, took its first measurement on
Sol 2, at approximately noon. (Martian days, which are longer than those on
Earth, are called "Sols.")

Data showed dust lofted up to a height of 3.5 kilometers. The lidar is a
critical component of the Canadian-built meteorological station aboard
Phoenix, which is also measuring the weather on Mars, including temperature,
wind, and pressure data.

Weather at the Phoenix landing site on Sol 2 was sunny with moderate dust,
with a high of -30 C and a low of -80 C. Whiteway's team noted what appears
to be a significant increase in dustiness compared to the lander's first day
on Mars.

The meteorological component of the mission is a collaboration led by York
University, in partnership with the University of Alberta, Dalhousie
University, the University of Aarhus (Denmark), the Finnish Meteorological
Institute, MDA Space Missions, and Optech Inc., with $37 million in funding
from the Canadian Space Agency.

Phoenix media briefings are streamed live on the NASA TV website, at:
     http://www.nasa.tv
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