These times are estimates; the actual times may be a minute or so different.
Times are given in Eastern Daylight time.
| Event | Time of event | Time when we hear about it |
|---|---|---|
| Phoenix Lander separates from the cruise vehicle. The GBT should start to see its transmission at about 401.56 MHz | 7:24:02 PM | 7:39:22 PM | Phoenix turns to orient itself correctly for falling through the atmosphere. | 7:24:27 | 7:39:47 |
| Phoenix starts modulating its signal, sending data to the orbiters. The GBT will see a drop in the power of the carrier signal. | 7:28:57 | 7:44:17 | Phoenix enters the atmosphere; over the next 3 minutes it slows down from 12,000 MPH to about 900 MPH, the heat shield heats up to 2600 F. During this phase, the signal will disappear because of the bubble of ionized gas created by the hot heat shield. | 7:30:57 | 7:46:17 | The parachute deploys. Phoenix slows down from 900 MPH to about 250 MPH, over about 2 minutes. The GBT should see the signal again. | 7:34:37 | 7:49:57 | The parachute and heat shield have been jettisoned. Phoenix is firing its rockets in order to settle down on the surface. | 7:37:31 | 7:52:51 | Phoenix lands. At this point the signal from the lander will be very weak; the GBT may or may not detect it. | 7:38:13 | 7:53:33 |