Click on image for animation
Fun, fairy-tale nicknames have been assigned to features in this animated
view of the workspace reachable by the robotic arm of NASA's Phoenix
Mars Lander. For example, "Sleepy Hollow" denotes a trench and "Headless"
designates a rock.
A "National Park," marked by purple text and a purple arrow, has been set
aside for protection until scientists and engineers have tested the operation
of the robotic scoop. First touches with the scoop will be to the left of the
"National Park" line.
Scientists use such informal names for easy identification of features of interest
during the mission.
In this view, rocks are circled in yellow, other areas of interest in green. The
images were taken by the lander's 7-foot mast camera, called the Surface
Stereo Imager.
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.