See how it lands

Now settled, Phoenix Lander prepares to dig for ice

Mars-based research craft sent another surprise to scientists today. After celebrating the successful landing Sunday night of the Mars Phoenix Lander and its first detailed images of the Mars’ northern arctic circle, the NASA team released another first-ever image.

A camera on a separate craft, one orbiting Mars, caught an image of the Phoenix Lander suspended from its parachute just before it descended onto the Red Planet’s northern plains on May 25.