This image, acquired by the Robotic Arm Camera on NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander, shows a spring on the ground under the lander near a footpad. This spring was released from the lander when the biobarrier was opened to free the Robotic Arm. This image was taken on the sixth Martian day of the mission (May 30, 2008).

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.