The next sample delivered to NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander's Thermal and Evolved-Gas Analyzer (TEGA) will be ice-rich.
Phoenix enlarged the "Snow White" trench and scraped up little piles of icy soil on Saturday, June 28. Scientists say that the scrapings are ideal for the lander's analytical instruments.
Phoenix scraped to icy soil in the "Wonderland" area, confirming that surface soil, subsurface soil and icy soil can be sampled at a single trench.
Phoenix's Time on Mars:
An audio recording and images from the June 26 media telecon.
This is an animated flyover of the workspace of Phoenix.
This animated camera view zooms in from NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander launch site all the way to Phoenix's Microscopy and Electrochemistry and Conductivity Analyzer.
Explore our interactive model to learn about the tools Phoenix will use to study the northern plains of Mars.