Phoenix Mars Lander Beams Back PhotosPhoenix Mars Lander Beams Back Photos

The Phoenix Mars Lander has beamed back images of the Red Planet's landscape that have never been seen before.

The lander successfully parachuted and touched down on the surface of Mars Sunday, despite some fears about the spacecraft's ability to penetrate the atmosphere and remain upright after landing. Had the Phoenix tipped over, it would not have been able to dig into Martian soil, and it would have been impossible for the craft to complete its mission.

"I'm floored. I'm absolutely floored," said Phoenix Project Manager Barry Goldstein of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), in Pasadena, Calif.

Mars Society executive director Chris Carberry said that one of the greatest challenges in modern engineering is to land a craft safely on another planet.

"The data collected from this mission could have a tremendous impact on planning for future human missions," he said.

Another craft is orbiting the planet and has helped experts determine the planet has water and ice, which could have supported life on Mars or support human visitors in the future.

The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter captured images of the landing through the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE), marking the first time one craft has photographed another craft landing on the Red Planet. HiRISE usually points downward but to capture the landing the whole orbiter had to tilt to 62 degrees.

"We saw a few other bright spots in the image first, but when we saw the parachute and the lander with the cords connecting them, there was no question," said HiRISE principal investigator Alfred McEwen, from the University of Arizona. "We've never taken an image at such an oblique angle before."

The Phoenix is the first craft to explore the poles of Mars. It has a robotic arm that can dig trenches and pull samples from the frozen soil on the arctic plains.

The lander has analytical tools that can study water thought to be just below the surface of the frozen soil. Solar arrays power the craft. A meteorological station and thermal and evolved-gas analyzer are expected to collect and study information about conditions.

A surface stereoscopic imager on board the Phoenix has cameras spaced as far apart as human eyes. That provides NASA with3-D images and panoramic views.

"We can see cracks in the troughs that make us think the ice is still modifying the surface," said Phoenix principal investigator Peter Smith of the University of Arizona. "We see fresh cracks. Cracks can't be old. They would fill in."

High-resolution photos and video of the craft's landing and Mars' polar landscape are available on NASA's Web site.

The Phoenix is on the first of NASA's new Scout missions. The mission was chosen from ideas presented by organizations outside of NASA, a first for the space agency. For 10 years now, the Mars Society has supported missions based on ideas from outside organizations.

Mars Society president Dr. Robert Zubrin said: "The terrific Phoenix mission has been the result. We're very proud of the role we have played in bringing this about, and look forward with great excitement to the discoveries that Phoenix may bring."

Members of the Mars Society held Mars parties around the world to celebrate the Phoenix's landing.

"The thrill within a group of people watching such an historic event taking place on another planet is simply awe-inspiring," Gerry Williams, founder of the Mars Society's San Diego chapter, said in a statement. "The relief of knowing Phoenix has landed successfully, and then waiting for the first pictures to be sent back, is a double bonus for all of us."

Members hope presidential candidates would use the news to show support for more human and robotic missions to Mars and elsewhere.

Smith is leading the Phoenix mission, with project management at JPL. Partners at Lockheed Martin built the Phoenix. The Canadian Space Agency, the University of Neuchatel, Switzerland, the universities of Copenhagen and Aarhus, in Denmark; Germany's Max Planck Institute and Finland's Meteorological Institute are also cooperating.