NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander's Robotic Arm Camera took this image on Sol 71
(August 6, 2008), the 71st Martian day after landing. The shadow shows the
outline of Phoenix's Thermal and Electrical Conductivity Probe, or TECP.
The holes seen in the Martian surface were made by this instrument to
measure the soil's conductivity. A fork-like probe inserted into the soil
checks how well heat and electricity move through the soil from one prong
to another.
The measurements completed Wednesday ran from the afternoon of Phoenix's
70th Martian day, or sol, to the morning of Sol 71.
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.
