This false color image, taken by NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander's Surface
Stereo Imager, was taken on the 131st Martian day, or sol, of the mission
(Oct. 7, 2008). The image shows color variations of the trench, informally
named "La Mancha," and reveals the ice layer beneath the soil surface. The
trench's depth is about 5 centimeters deep.
The color outline of the shadow at the bottom of the image is a result of
sun movement with the combined use of infrared, green, and blue filters.
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.