This image, taken by NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander's Surface Stereo Imager,
documents the delivery of a soil sample from the "Snow White" trench to
the Wet Chemistry Laboratory. A small pile of soil is visible on the lower
edge of the second cell from the top.This deck-mounted lab is part of
Phoenix's Microscopy, Electrochemistry and Conductivity Analyzer (MECA).
The delivery was made on Sept. 12, 2008, which was Sol 107 (the 107th
Martian day) of the mission, which landed on May 25, 2008.
The Wet Chemistry Laboratory mixes Martian soil with an aqueous solution
from Earth as part of a process to identify soluble nutrients and other
chemicals in the soil. Preliminary analysis of this soil confirms that it
is alkaline, and composed of salts and other chemicals such as
perchlorate, sodium, magnesium, chloride and potassium. This data
validates prior results from that same location, said JPL's Michael Hecht,
the lead scientist for MECA.
In the coming days, the Phoenix team will also fill the final four of
eight single-use ovens on another soil-analysis instrument, the Thermal
and Evolved Gas Analyzer, or TEGA. The team's strategy is to deliver as
many samples as possible before the power produced by Phoenix's solar
panels declines due to the end of the Martian summer.
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.
