This view from the Robotic Arm Camera on NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander shows
partial opening of doors to one of the tiny ovens of the Thermal and
Evolved-Gas Analyzer.
Each oven has a pair of spring-loaded doors. Near the center of the image,
the partial opening of a pair of doors reveals screen over the opening
where a soil sample will be delivered. The door to the right is fully
opened and the one to the left is partially deployed. The doors are 10
centimeters (4 inches) long. The opening is 4 centimeters (1.5 inches)
wide.
Tests on the Phoenix testbed at the University of Arizona, Tucson,
indicate that a soil sample could be delivered into the oven through the
partially opened doors. Engineers are also exploring possibilities for
opening the doors more completely.This image was taken during Phoenix's
eighth Martian day, or sol (June 2, 2008).
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.
