Phoenix Landing a Success!

Phoenix has made a successful landing on Mars yesterday. Very soon after the landing, it started sending pictures of itself and the area around it. The Phoenix crew (right) is very happy with the results.

The above picture is of one of Phoenix' landing pads. Each landing pad of the Phoenix spacecraft is approximately the size of a dinner plate. Notice that the landing pad is covered in dust. This is the result of the lander kicking up some of the soil during landing. However, most of the area around the lander is still in the original state. This is a good outcome since the Phoenix landing has not contaminated and affected the land, not affecting the research that Phoenix will later conduct.

To see the latest pictures that Phoenix has sent back, visit this page.