Scoopful of Martian Soil After Release

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Caption:

This sequence of two images was acquired by NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander's Surface Stereo Imager on sols 6 and 7—the sixth and seventh days of the mission (May 31 and June 1, 2008). Both images show an area to the west of the digging site informally known as "Knave of Hearts." The second image shows the movement and shadow of the Robotic Arm. Between Phoenix's Arm and the shadow is a small handful of Martian soil that has been released from the Robotic Arm onto the surface.

Background Info:

The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.

Photojournal Note: As planned, the Phoenix lander, which landed May 25, 2008 23:53 UTC, ended communications in November 2008, about six months after landing, when its solar panels ceased operating in the dark Martian winter.

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