Astronomy Picture of the Day

NASA ^ | 6/2/08 | NASA

[sig226]

Unusual Light Patch Under Phoenix Lander on Mars
Credit: Phoenix Mission Team, NASA, JPL-Caltech, U. Arizona

Explanation: Is that ice under the Phoenix spacecraft on Mars? Quite possibly. Phoenix, which landed a week ago, was expected to dig under the Martian soil to search for ice, but the lander's braking rockets may already have uncovered some during descent. Pictured above is an image taken last week by the Robotic Arm Camera showing the unusual light-colored substance just in front of Phoenix's landing pad. Over the next few weeks, Phoenix will continue to photograph its surroundings, analyze the composition of this hard light substrate, and dig into the surrounding soil. Were the unusual light substrate indeed Martian ice, it would give Phoenix a convenient pedestal to investigate the history of water on Mars, and to better determine whether the boundary between ice and soil was ever capable of supporting life.

[sig226]

[cripplecreek]

Robourine?

[samtheman]

Looks like ice to me.

[wolfcreek]

“Looks like ice to me.”

Or it's Lander poop.

[mowowie]

Now if this multi- million dollar probe had capabilities to find signs of life that would be cool.
Guess we’ll have to wait for probably bunches more multi-million dollar probes to get that one.

[vpintheak]

Why the sam hill can’t they have pictures in color?

[tet68]

Another pic, sure looks like melted ice...

[Pistolshot]

Initially. all the pictures come back in black and white, it's much less data to send.
By sending pictures this way, it gives controllers the opportunity to pick which one they want to have in color.

Expect to see this again in full color. If it's ice, then the Phoenix mission will have been successful already.

[parsifal]

This looks like an alien skull bone to me. See the nose and the eye sockets. Oh crap. the lander hit a Martian. I wonder if Mars has lawyers?

parsy, who notices things like this.

[tet68]

Well, I suppose it could be some sort of Cryptid vertibrae
but what do I know ...looks like melted ice to me.

[RightWhale]

Ice. Permafrost does this, the ice purfies itself.

[Lancey Howard]

to investigate the history of water on Mars, and to better determine whether the boundary between ice and soil was ever capable of supporting life.

???

Well, of course Mars was once capable of supporting life. Where do they figure earthlings migrated from? Halley's comet? Duh.

[GodBlessRonaldReagan]

Very cool!

[Ronaldus Magnus Reagan]

It’s a “hatch” from the Dharma Initiative that will be part of the plot in next season’s Tv show, “Lost”