Phoenix Robotic Arm connects with ‘Alice’

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Caption:

NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander's Robotic Arm comes into contact with a rock informally named "Alice" near the "Snow White" trench.

This image was acquired by Phoenix's NASA's Surface Stereo Imager on July 13 during the 48th Martian day, or sol, since Phoenix landed.

For scale, the width of the scoop at the end of the arm is about 8.5 centimeters (3.3 inches).

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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