A three-stage Delta II rocket is the chosen launch vehicle that will carry the
Phoenix lander on the first leg of its journey to Mars.
Once the first stage was hoisted into place at the pad, the nine
solid rocket boosters that will help propel the Delta II were attached.
Workers then raised the second stage atop the first, as the powerful launch vehicle took shape.
At the same time, just a few miles away at the Kennedy Space Center,
the Phoenix spacecraft was undergoing its final tests.
Built in Colorado by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Phoenix arrived at the
space center's Shuttle Landing Facility aboard a U.S. Air Force C-17.
From there, it was transported to a clean room at the
Payload Hazardous Servicing Facility for preflight testing.
The final checkouts included spin-balance testing with and without fuel -- testing the heat shield separation –
verifying the launch and cruise stage systems -- and conducting solar array deployment and lighting tests.
Technicians loaded flight software and performed compatibility testing with the Deep Space Network Tracking Sations.
The parachute that will slow the spacecraft's descent through the thin Martian atmosphere was installed –
and the electrical power system was put through a final performance test.
The landing radar was integrated -- and the entry, descent and landing system verified.
Following all the tests, the spacecraft was attached to the upper stage booster
before moving to the launch pad in a transportation canister.
With the spacecraft mounted atop the Delta II and covered with its protective fairing,
Phoenix awaits its thunderous liftoff and the beginning of its exciting mission to Mars.