Martian soil. Phoenix lander spacecraft light microscope image of dust particles (brown) on a silicon platform (purple). This sample was obtained from

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Martian soil. Phoenix lander spacecraft light microscope image of dust particles (brown) on a silicon platform (purple). This sample was obtained from Mars' Snow White trench on sol 38 (2nd July 2008) using the Phoenix spacecraft's robotic arm. Phoenix was launched on 4th August 2007 and landed on Mars on 25th May 2008. It is the first successful landing on a polar region of Mars and the sixth successful Mars landing. This mission's aim is to research the history of water on Mars and to evaluate the environment for any past (or potential future) microbial life on the planet.

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Size: 5041px × 3508px
Photo credit: © NASA/JPL-CALTECH/UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA/UNIVERSITY OF NEUCHATEL/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

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