This image shows a polygonal pattern in the ground near NASA's Phoenix
Mars Lander, similar in appearance to icy ground in the arctic regions of
Earth.
Phoenix touched down on the Red Planet at 4:53 p.m. Pacific Time (7:53
p.m. Eastern Time), May 25, 2008, in an arctic region called Vastitas
Borealis, at 68 degrees north latitude, 234 degrees east longitude.
This is an approximate-color image taken shortly after landing by the
spacecraft's Surface Stereo Imager, inferred from two color filters, a
violet, 450-nanometer filter and an infrared, 750-nanometer filter.
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.