PIA10771: Second Dig and Dump Test
 Target Name:  Mars
 Is a satellite of:  Sol (our sun)
 Mission:  Phoenix
 Spacecraft:  Phoenix Mars Lander
 Instrument:  Robotic Arm
Surface Stereo Imager (SSI)
 Product Size:  3403 x 1168 pixels (w x h)
 Produced By:  JPL
 Full-Res TIFF:  PIA10771.tif (11.92 MB)
 Full-Res JPEG:  PIA10771.jpg (363.3 kB)

Click on the image above to download a moderately sized image in JPEG format (possibly reduced in size from original)

Original Caption Released with Image:

The Robotic Arm took a second scoop full of soil and revealed whitish material at the bottom of the dig area informally called the "Knave of Hearts." The Science Team is debating whether this is a salt layer or the top of an ice table. Image was taken by the Surface Stereo Imager on the ninth day of the Mars mission, or Sol 9, (June 3, 2008) aboard the NASA Phoenix Mars Lander.

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

Image Addition Date:
2008-06-04