This artist's concept depicts the Phoenix lander on the surface of Mars near the Northern Polar Ice Cap. Round photovoltaic solar panels extend from the sides of the spacecraft, generating electrical power. The robotic arm (left) reaches out to scoop up soil samples for analysis. The thin green laser beam of the probe's LIDAR instrument shoots skyward, measuring dust in the Martian atmosphere.
Image courtesy of NASA/JPL/UA/Lockheed Martin.