The Payload Interoperability Testbed (PIT) was designed to be the first place for various Phoenix mission instruments to be tested together as a unit. One of the many functions of the PIT, which became operable in the summer of 2005, is the execution of Operational Readiness Tests (ORT). These tests help the Phoenix scientists understand how the lander and their payloads will interact in various scenarios or programmed anomalies. The scientists will continue to use the PIT after landing to test scenarios and solutions to any unforeseen anomalies before they take action on Mars.


Pictured from left to right: Evan McKelvy, Garrett Richards, Rolfe Bode, Rick McCloskey, Bob Bonitz, Pat Woida, Rob Bovill, Lori Harrison. (Not pictured: Stephen Gray)