This image was taken by NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander's Robotic Arm Camera
(RAC) on the ninth Martian day of the mission, or Sol 9 (June 3, 2008).
The center of the image shows a trench informally called "Dodo" after the
second dig. "Dodo" is located within the previously determined digging
area, informally called "Knave of Hearts." The light square to the right
of the trench is the Robotic Arm's Thermal and Electrical Conductivity
Probe (TECP). The Robotic Arm has scraped to a bright surface which
indicated the Arm has reached a solid structure underneath the surface,
which has been seen in other images as well.
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.