Phoenix Lander in Springtime

With early spring at the Phoenix landing site comes the progressive sublimation of the carbon dioxide frost that has blanketed the lander and surrounding terrain throughout the winter.




During the long polar-winter night atmospheric carbon dioxide freezes onto the surface building up a layer of frost roughly 30 centimeters (about one foot) thick. In the spring this frost returns to atmosphere gas (sublimates) over the course of several months. This image, part of a seasonal frost monitori [...]

Full story at http://spacefellowship.com/news/art18031/phoenix-lander-in-springtime.html