This image, acquired by NASA’s Phoenix Mars Lander’s Surface Stereo Imager
on Sol 7, the seventh day of the mission (June 1, 2008), shows the
so-called “Knave of Hearts” first-dig test area to the north of the
lander. The Robotic Arm’s scraping blade left a small horizontal
depression above where the sample was taken.
Scientists speculate that white material in the depression left by the dig
could represent ice or salts that precipitated into the soil. This
material is likely the same white material observed in the sample in the
Robotic Arm’s scoop.
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.
