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PIA11383: Phoenix Deepens Trenches on Mars
NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander took this false color image on Oct. 21, 2008. The bluish-white areas seen in these trenches are part of an ice layer beneath the soil. Three trenches are seen: 'Dodo-Goldilocks,' 'Upper Cupboard,' and 'Stone Soup.'
 Target Name:  Mars
 Is a satellite of:  Sol (our sun)
 Mission:  Phoenix 
 Spacecraft:  Phoenix Mars Lander
 Instrument:  Surface Stereo Imager (SSI) 
 Product Size:  1024 x 1024 pixels (w x h) 
 Produced By:  University of Arizona 
 Full-Res TIFF:  PIA11383.tif (3.15 MB)
 Full-Res JPEG:  PIA11383.jpg (191.6 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 Surface Stereo Imager on NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander took this false color image on Oct. 21, 2008, during the 145th Martian day, or sol, since landing. The bluish-white areas seen in these trenches are part of an ice layer beneath the soil.

The trench on the upper left, called "Dodo-Goldilocks," is about 38 centimeters (15 inches) long and 4 centimeters (1.5 inches) deep. The trench on the right, called "Upper Cupboard," is about 60 centimeters (24 inches) long and 3 centimeters (1 inch) deep. The trench in the lower middle is called "Stone Soup."

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/Texas A&M University

Image Addition Date:
2008-10-29