Decades of planning and research culminated in triumphant ecstasy today when NASA’s Phoenix Mars lander plunged its trembly multi-million-dollar armature into the soft, powdery Martian soil near its landing site. Then, in a display of sublime surrealism, Phoenix promptly dumped its prize back onto the ground.

NASA calls it a practice scoop, a maneuver to test Phoenix’s delicate digging arm before it begins testing soil samples with its onboard geological laboratory. All systems appear to be go, so further testing will continue. 

The scoop did reveal more shimmering material (Phoenix photographed a shimmering patch of what could be ice directly below its landing gear earlier this week) that could be ice or salt, NASA officials say.

Link to New Scientist article.

Link to Science Daily article.