Phoenix makes a 'footprint' on Mars

PASADENA, Calif., June 2 (UPI) -- The U.S. space agency's Phoenix Mars Lander's robotic arm touched the Martian soil for the first time during the weekend,

The Saturday event was the first step in a series of actions expected to involve the lander's experiments with the planet's soil and possible ice.

NASA said the spacecraft's robotic arm scoop left an impression that resembles a footprint at a place provisionally named Yeti in the King of Hearts target zone, away from the area that eventually will be sampled for evaluation.

Features and locations around the Phoenix lander are being named for fairy tale and mythological characters, NASA said.

"This first touch allows us to utilize the robotic arm accurately. We are in a good situation for the upcoming sample acquisition and transfer," said David Spencer, Phoenix's surface mission manager from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.