Bruce Murray Space Image Library

Holy Cow! Ice under the Phoenix lander, sol 5

Holy Cow! Ice under the Phoenix lander, sol 5
Holy Cow! Ice under the Phoenix lander, sol 5 After landing in Mars' northern polar regions, Phoenix poked its Robotic Arm Camera underneath its belly to look at the positions of its footpads on the ground. The descent rockets had blasted soil away from the surface, revealing lenses of clean-looking, bright ice just beneath the surface. The team named this spot "Holy Cow" because of their reaction to the sight. This version of the image has been enlarged and brightened for print purposes. NASA / JPL / UA / Emily Lakdawalla