Picture of the day - May 29, 2008

"Martian Landscape"

Photo courtesy of NASA. The place featured in today's picture is literally out of this world. Although the barren, rocky landscape featured above looks like it could be found in one of earth's desert regions, it is actually located on the surface of the planet Mars! On May 25, 2008 the amazing Phoenix Mars Lander made a picture-perfect touchdown on the arctic plain of the "Red Planet". The robotic explorer's primary mission is to seek out and gather data about the large quantity of water ice that lies just below the surface in the region of the Martian north pole. But if Phoenix's mission turns out to be even half as successful as those of its twin predecessors Spirit and Opportunity, we can look forward to literally thousands of spectacular photographs of our neighboring planet and its intriguing geological features. Our Creator gave us much more than just our own earth to explore and marvel at, and our unmanned expeditions to Mars are just the beginning. God has blessed mankind with a curiosity about the universe in which we live, and thanks to the ever-expanding knowledge and understanding that He is allowing us to attain, we are well on our way to putting human footprints on the surface of other worlds. And I for one look forward to the journey - even if it is only through the world of photography!   Click here to comment on this picture.   Visit the POTD Archives for previous "Pictures Of The Day"!     Submit a photo of your own!                                 Place the "Picture of the Day" on your website, for free! Why I publish the "Picture of the Day"