This gallery was originally published on June 9 at 8:28 a.m. PDT, but has been updated with new information and photos 1, 2, and 3.
Late last week, the robotic arm of the Phoenix Mars Lander successfully scooped dirt from the Red Planet's surface for the first time during its mission and deposited it on a filter screen that covers the probe's onboard laboratory. The particles of dirt appear to be clumped together and are too thick to pass through the 1-millimeter square openings in the filter despite NASA efforts to shake the screens to let small samples pass through. But NASA scientists still have some tricks up their sleeves.
Photo by NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/Max Planck Institute
