This image, one of the first captured by NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander, shows
the vast plains of the northern polar region of Mars. The flat landscape
is strewn with tiny pebbles and shows polygonal cracking, a pattern seen
widely in Martian high latitudes and also observed in permafrost terrains
on Earth. The polygonal cracking is believed to have resulted from
seasonal contraction and expansion of surface ice.
Phoenix touched down on the Red Planet at 4:53 p.m. Pacific Time (7:53
Eastern Time), May 25, 2008, in an arctic region called Vastitas Borealis,
at 68 degrees north latitude, 234 degrees east longitude.
This image was taken shortly after landing 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.