PIA10722: Phoenix 'Gets the Scoop' on the Scoop
 Target Name:  Mars
 Is a satellite of:  Sol (our sun)
 Mission:  Phoenix
 Spacecraft:  Phoenix Mars Lander
 Instrument:  Robotic Arm Camera (RAC)
 Product Size:  512 x 256 pixels (w x h)
 Produced By:  University of Arizona
 Full-Res TIFF:  PIA10722.tif (131.4 kB)
 Full-Res JPEG:  PIA10722.jpg (10.3 kB)

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Original Caption Released with Image:

This is the first image taken by the Robotic Arm Camera on NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander, one day after landing. In the center of the image is the robotic scoop the lander will use to dig into the surface, collect samples and touch water ice on Mars for the first time. The scoop is in the stowed position, awaiting deployment of the robotic arm.

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.

Image Credit:
NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/Max Planck Institute

Image Addition Date:
2008-05-28