This is an image of the Martian surface beneath NASA's Phoenix Mars
Lander. The image was taken by Phoenix's Robotic Arm Camera (RAC) on the
eighth Martian day of the mission, or Sol 8 (June 2, 2008). The light
feature in the middle of the image below the leg is informally called
"Holy Cow." The dust, shown in the dark foreground, has been blown off of
"Holy Cow" by Phoenix's thruster engines.
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.