LOS ANGELES (June 6) - The Phoenix lander has scooped up its first, cup-sized sample of Martian dirt for analysis, kicking off the spacecraft's primary science mission of searching for water or signs of life on the Red Planet.The small sample includes a large Martian dirt clod crusted with white matter that intrigues NASA scientists because they believe it could be salt left behind by evaporated water or ice.
NASA / JPL-Caltech / University of Arizona / Texas A&M University / AP
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The craft ascended into space aboard a rocket, above, on Aug. 4 at Cape Canaveral, Fla.
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An illustration depicts the spacecraft's landing on Mars.
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What's one way to search for signs of life on the Red Planet? Scoop up some Martian dirt and bake it. That's what the Phoenix lander is up to this week. Here, the lander's 8-foot robotic arm gears up to dump a soil sample inside an oven near Mars' north pole, Thursday.
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An image from the lander shows the Martian horizon. Scientists do not expect to find water in its liquid form at the Phoenix landing site because it's too cold.
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