Relatively warmer daytime temperatures on Mars have allowed the biobarrier
-- a shiny, protective film -- to peel away a little more from the robotic
arm of NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander.
This image shows the spacecraft's robotic arm in its stowed configuration,
with the biobarrier unpeeled on landing day, or Sol (Martian day) 0, and
the lander's first full day on Mars, Sol 1.
The "elbow" of the arm can be seen at the top center of the picture, and
the biobarrier is the shiny film seen to the left of the arm.
The biobarrier is an extra precaution to protect Mars from contamination
with any bacteria from Earth. While the whole spacecraft was
decontaminated through cleaning, filters and heat, the robotic arm was
given additional protection because it is the only spacecraft part that
will directly touch the ice below the surface of Mars.
Before the arm was heated, it was sealed in the biobarrier, which is made
of a trademarked film called Tedlar that holds up to baking like a
turkey-basting bag. This ensures that any new bacterial spores that might
have appeared during the final steps before launch and during the journey
to Mars will not contact the robotic arm.
After Phoenix landed, springs were used to pop back the barrier, giving it
room to deploy.
These images were taken on May 25, 2008 and May 26, 2008 by the
spacecraft's 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.