This image shows fine-grained material inside the Robotic Arm scoop as
seen by the Robotic Arm Camera (RAC) aboard NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander on
June 25, 2008, the 30th Martian day, or sol, of the mission.
The image shows fine, fluffy, red soil particles collected in a sample
called 'Rosy Red.' The sample was dug from the trench named 'Snow White'
in the area called 'Wonderland.' Some of the Rosy Red sample was delivered
to Phoenix's Optical Microscope and Wet Chemistry Laboratory for analysis.
The RAC provides its own illumination, so the color seen in RAC images is
color as seen on Earth, not color as it would appear on Mars.
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.