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Snow White Trenches

June 23, 2008
This image acquired by NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander on June 19, 2008 showing two trenches informally called 'Snow White 1' (left) and 'Snow White 2' (right).

This image was acquired by NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander's Surface Stereo Imager on the 25th Martian day of the mission, or Sol 24 (June 19, 2008), after the May 25, 2008, landing. This image shows the trenches informally called "Snow White 1" (left) and "Snow White 2" (right). The trench is about 5 centimeters (2 inches) deep and 30 centimeters (12 inches) long.

"Snow White" is located in a patch of Martian soil near the center of a polygonal surface feature, nicknamed "Cheshire Cat." The "dump pile" is located at the top of the trench, the side farthest away from the lander, and has been dubbed "Croquet Ground." The digging site has been named "Wonderland."

This image has been enhanced to brighten shaded areas.

The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver.

Photojournal Note: As planned, the Phoenix lander, which landed May 25, 2008 23:53 UTC, ended communications in November 2008, about six months after landing, when its solar panels ceased operating in the dark Martian winter.

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