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Photo from Ukrinform–UATV
Astronomers unveiled photos of the Phoenix spacecraft taken by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
NASA said that the new photos were compared to the photos first taken in 2008. The landing site of the mission and the spacecraft itself were significantly covered by dust.
The Phoenix spacecraft was launched on Aug. 4, 2007, and it successfully landed in the northern polar region of the red planet on May 25, 2008. The mission task was to study the Martian soil and atmosphere. In August 2008, Phoenix completed its mission.
On July 20, 2008, before the completion of the Phoenix mission, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, a Mars exploration satellite launched in 2005, took images of Phoenix’s landing site.
Three dark spots on Mars were detected. The first one was on the corresponding landing place of the module. The second one was on the place of impact of the surface of the front heat protection shield. The third one was on the landing point of the dropped parachute.
On December 21, 2017, the orbiter photographed this area again. The new image shows that all three places are now obscured by dust.
