NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander widened the deepest trench it has excavated,
dubbed "Stone Soup," (in the lower half of this image) to collect a sample
from about 18 centimeters (7 inches) below the surface for analysis by the
lander's wet chemistry laboratory.
Phoenix's Surface Stereo Imager took this image on Sol 95 (Aug. 30, 2008),
the 95th Martian day since landing. For scale, the rock to the right of
the Stone Soup trench is about 15 centimeters (6 inches) across. The
lander's robotic arm scooped up a sample from the left half of the trench
for delivery the following sol to the wet chemistry laboratory.
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.
