PIA10691: Phoenix Footpad Up Close


Phoenix Footpad Up Close

Caption:

NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander did a small amount of excavation as it touched down on pebbly north polar terrain on the Red Planet, as shown in this close-up view of one of the lander's three footpads.

The footpad appears to have slid a few inches as the lander touched down.

This image was taken by the Surface Stereo Imager shortly after Phoenix landed May 25, 2008.

Background Info:

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.

Cataloging Keywords:

Name Value Additional Values
Target Mars
System
Target Type Planet
Mission Phoenix
Instrument Host Phoenix Lander
Host Type Lander
Instrument Solid-State Imaging (SSI)
Detector
Extra Keywords Grayscale
Acquisition Date
Release Date 2008-05-26
Date in Caption 2008-05-25
Image Credit NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/Texas A&M
Source photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA10691
Identifier PIA10691