Planetary Science

PHX

237 tracked publications and 10,257 citations from 2008–2026. Mars Phoenix. Launched 2007. Life-cycle cost: $869M in 2025 dollars. Active Mission Window June 1, 2008 to December 1, 2010: 97 publications, 8.3 top-10% credit.

Lander · h-index 52 · 22 papers with 100+ citations · prime mission ended 2008

Lifetime

Scope Papers published from the first full month after science operations begin through 2 years after the mission ends. Citations are counted through the third calendar year after each paper appears. Methods Papers published from the first full month after science operations begin through 2 years after the prime mission ends. Citations are counted through the third calendar year after each paper appears. Methods Every tracked publication to date, with every citation to date. Methods

Key measures

Active Mission Window · papers June 1, 2008 to December 1, 2010
Tracked publicationsTracked publications: peer-reviewed research papers we found for the mission. The list may not be complete. Methods97
CitationsCitations received by the tracked publications in the selected scope. The two windowed scopes count each paper’s citations only within its citation window. Methods1,585
Mean citations per publicationMean citations: total citations divided by tracked publications in the selected scope. One blockbuster paper can lift it. Methods16
Median citations per publicationMedian citations: the middle paper’s citation count in the selected scope; half the papers have more, half fewer. A single blockbuster sways it less than the mean. Methods10
Uncited publicationsUncited publications: papers with no citations in the selected scope. Methods9 (9.3%)
Top-10% creditTop 10%: among the 10% most-cited papers from this division’s missions, ranked against papers published around the same time. A paper naming several missions is split evenly among the missions in this division that claim it, so counts can be fractional. Methods8.3 · 0.76% of division
Top-1% creditTop 1%: among the 1% most-cited papers from this division’s missions within the selected window. Not adjusted for publication year. A paper naming several missions is split evenly among the missions in this division that claim it, so counts can be fractional. Methods2 · 1.8% of division
Lifetime indices · every tracked publication to date, in any scope
h-indexh-index: the largest h such that h papers have at least h citations each. It only grows with time, so older missions score higher. Methods52
g-indexg-index: the largest g for which the g most-cited papers together hold at least g² citations. Like the h-index, but it lets the most-cited papers count for more. Methods91
m-index, as of October 4, 2026m-index: a mission’s h-index divided by the years since its first peer-reviewed paper. It falls every 1 January even when nothing else changes, so it belongs to the date shown; it also discounts the long operating life that larger missions paid for. Methods2.7
toritori (total research impact, from ADS): for every paper citing one of the mission’s papers, 1 divided by the citing paper’s reference count times the cited paper’s author count, summed, with self-citations removed. It favors citations from papers with short reference lists and from outside the mission’s own authors. Computed over the tracked citation graph, which can be slightly incomplete. Methods50
riqriq (research impact quotient): 1,000 times the square root of tori, divided by the years since the mission’s first paper. A rate, not a total, so it does not keep growing with age the way the h-index and tori do. Methods372

Tracked publications

  1. Detection of Perchlorate and the Soluble Chemistry of Martian Soil at the Phoenix Lander Site

    Hecht, M. H., 2009, Sci

    887 citations

  2. Eight-year climatology of dust optical depth on Mars

    Montabone, L., 2015, Icar

    422 citations

  3. H₂O at the Phoenix Landing Site

    Smith, P. H., 2009, Sci

    402 citations

  4. Ultrahigh resolution topographic mapping of Mars with MRO HiRISE stereo images: Meter-scale slopes of candidate Phoenix landing sites

    Kirk, R. L., 2008, JGRE

    327 citations

  5. Evidence for Calcium Carbonate at the Mars Phoenix Landing Site

    Boynton, W. V., 2009, Sci

    291 citations

  6. Reanalysis of the Viking results suggests perchlorate and organics at midlatitudes on Mars

    Navarro-González, Rafael, 2010, JGRE

    280 citations

  7. Thermal contraction crack polygons on Mars: Classification, distribution, and climate implications from HiRISE observations

    Levy, Joseph, 2009, JGRE

    185 citations

  8. Atmospheric origins of perchlorate on Mars and in the Atacama

    Catling, D. C., 2010, JGRE

    172 citations

  9. Stability of perchlorate hydrates and their liquid solutions at the Phoenix landing site, Mars

    Chevrier, Vincent F., 2009, GeoRL

    171 citations

  10. Mars Water-Ice Clouds and Precipitation

    Whiteway, J. A., 2009, Sci

    161 citations

  11. Mojave Mars simulant—Characterization of a new geologic Mars analog

    Peters, Gregory H., 2008, Icar

    160 citations

  12. Ground ice at the Phoenix Landing Site: Stability state and origin

    Mellon, Michael T., 2009, JGRE

    154 citations

  13. Evidence of martian perchlorate, chlorate, and nitrate in Mars meteorite EETA79001: Implications for oxidants and organics

    Kounaves, Samuel P., 2014, Icar

    144 citations

  14. The origins of perchlorate in the Martian soil

    Carrier, Brandi L., 2015, GeoRL

    133 citations

  15. Geochemistry of Carbonates on Mars: Implications for Climate History and Nature of Aqueous Environments

    Niles, Paul B., 2013, SSRv

    130 citations

  16. Thermal contraction crack polygons on Mars: A synthesis from HiRISE, Phoenix, and terrestrial analog studies

    Levy, Joseph S., 2010, Icar

    122 citations

  17. Identification of the perchlorate parent salts at the Phoenix Mars landing site and possible implications

    Kounaves, Samuel P., 2014, Icar

    120 citations

  18. Initial results from the thermal and electrical conductivity probe (TECP) on Phoenix

    Zent, Aaron P., 2010, JGRE

    111 citations

  19. Possible physical and thermodynamical evidence for liquid water at the Phoenix landing site

    Rennó, Nilton O., 2009, JGRE

    110 citations

  20. The formation of sulfate, nitrate and perchlorate salts in the martian atmosphere

    Smith, Megan L., 2014, Icar

    109 citations

How we found these papers

We searched NASA’s Astrophysics Data System (ADS) for peer-reviewed articles naming PHX in the title, abstract or keywords; standard filters drop articles that are not peer-reviewed and magazine pieces. SciX is ADS’s current interface.

((=abs:"Phoenix lander" OR =abs:"Phoenix landers" OR =abs:"Phoenix landing" OR =abs:"Mars Phoenix" OR =abs:"Phoenix Mars" OR =abs:"Phoenix Robotic Arm" OR =abs:"Phoenix MET" OR (abs:(Mars OR Martian) AND (=abs:"Phoenix mission" OR =abs:"Phoenix Scout" OR =abs:"Phoenix site" OR =abs:"Phoenix lidar" OR =abs:"detected by Phoenix" OR =abs:"measured by Phoenix" OR =abs:"observed by Phoenix" OR =abs:"Phoenix surface pressure" OR =title:Phoenix OR =abs:"Surface Stereo Imager" OR (=abs:"Thermal and Evolved Gas Analyzer" AND =abs:Phoenix) OR =abs:"Wet Chemistry Lab" OR =abs:"Wet Chemistry Laboratory" OR =abs:"Thermal and Electrical Conductivity Probe" OR =abs:"Microscopy, Electrochemistry, and Conductivity Analyzer" OR abs:TEGA OR abs:MECA OR abs:TECP OR abs:WCL OR (=abs:Phoenix AND (abs:SSI OR abs:RAC OR abs:MARDI OR =abs:lidar OR =abs:"MET station" OR =abs:"surface pressure"))))) AND NOT bibstem:(JSpRo OR PhT)) AND property:refereed AND doctype:article AND pubdate:[2008-06 TO 2040-01] AND NOT bibstem:("A&R" OR "AIASJ" OR "AeAm" OR "AirSp" OR "AsNow" OR "AsUAI" OR "AvWST" OR "C&E" OR "C&T" OR "CAPJ" OR "E&S" OR "ENews" OR "IrAJ" OR "JCos" OR "JRASC" OR "LAstr" OR "MNSSA" OR "Met" OR "NewSc" OR "Orion" OR "PhT" OR "PhTea" OR "PhuZ" OR "PhyOJ" OR "PhyW" OR "PlR" OR "SciAm" OR "SpFl" OR "ZemVs")

Open in SciX

Added after review (4)

  1. Chlorate salts and solutions on Mars Chlorate modelling to explain Phoenix Wet Chemistry Lab sensor responses. Decision 🤖
  2. The origins of perchlorate in the Martian soil Perchlorate-production experiments explaining the perchlorate measured by Phoenix. Decision 🤖
  3. Empirical Estimates of Martian Surface Pressure in Support of the Landing of Mars Science Laboratory Surface-pressure estimate for MSL landing built partly on Phoenix pressure data. Decision 🤖
  4. Detecting secular climate change on Mars Compares Viking and Phoenix surface-pressure data to test for climate change. Decision 🤖

Removed after review (16)

  1. SOLID3: A Multiplex Antibody Microarray-Based Optical Sensor Instrument for In Situ Life Detection in Planetary Exploration Describes a different life-detection instrument; cites Phoenix only for a soil perchlorate level. Decision 🤖
  2. 2011ITPDS..22..608F Computer-science paper on MapReduce software named Mars and Phoenix; unrelated. Decision 🤖
  3. 2017SpPol..42...41B Public forums held in Phoenix, Arizona; unrelated to the Phoenix lander. Decision 🤖
  4. 2018JGRE..123.2920H Laboratory study for Curiosity's SAM instrument; Phoenix is not part of the study. Decision 🤖
  5. Operation of pneumatically-actuated membrane-based microdevices for in situ analysis of extraterrestrial organic molecules after prolonged storage and in multiple orientations with respect to Earth's gravitational field Storage test of a prototype organic-analysis microdevice; reports no Phoenix results. Decision 🤖
  6. 2019IJAsB..18..562F Describes a new organic-analysis technique; mentions Phoenix only as a past mission. Decision 🤖
  7. 2019Life....9...70G Describes a proposed oxidant-detection instrument; mentions Phoenix only as heritage. Decision 🤖
  8. 2020AsBio..20.1151H Planetary protection for the InSight mission; mentions Phoenix only as lander heritage. Decision 🤖
  9. 2020JGRE..12506173C Laboratory study for Curiosity's SAM instrument; Phoenix is not part of the study. Decision 🤖
  10. 2021RemS...13..419P Drone lidar survey using a commercial "Phoenix LiDAR" system; unrelated. Decision 🤖
  11. 2021pds..data...28W Data-archive citation record listing many missions; not a research paper. Decision 🤖
  12. 2022P&SS..22305590H Describes the Mars 2020 humidity sensor; mentions Phoenix only as an earlier measurement. Decision 🤖
  13. 2011JSpRo..48..705D Introduction to a journal special issue; not a research paper. Decision 🤖
  14. The Biological Oxidant and Life Detection (BOLD) mission: A proposal for a mission to Mars Proposal for a different Mars mission; mentions Phoenix only as an example. Decision 🤖
  15. Multiuser Receiver Architectures for Space Modems Design of future relay radio architectures; mentions Phoenix only as a past mission. Decision 🤖
  16. Radiometric Calibration Targets for the Mastcam-Z Camera on the Mars 2020 Rover Mission Instrument description of the Mars 2020 Mastcam-Z calibration targets; Phoenix is mentioned only as design heritage. Decision 🤖