Description
NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander did a small amount of excavation as it touched down on pebbly north polar terrain on the Red Planet, as shown in this close-up view of one of the lander's three footpads.
The footpad appears to have slid a few inches as the lander touched down.
This image was taken by the Surface Stereo Imager shortly after Phoenix landed May 25, 2008.
Photojournal Note: As planned, the Phoenix lander, which landed May 25, 2008 23:53 UTC, ended communications in November 2008, about six months after landing, when its solar panels ceased operating in the dark Martian winter.
