Fact Sheet
Dropping In
Phoenix drops toward the Martian surface in this view from the orbiting Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. The lander was descending beneath a large parachute. The parachute is the larger bright circle, with the lander forming the smaller circle below it. The lines connecting parachute and lander are faintly visible, too. MRO was several hundred miles away at the time it snapped the picture, just a few minutes before Phoenix landed on the afternoon of May 25. The Martian surface was brightened slightly to bring out details in the landing area. [NASA/JPL/Univ. Arizona]
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