Descent of the Phoenix, Credit: MRO-HiRISE, NASA, JPL, Univ. Arizona
The photo of the Phoenix lander taken by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter wowed space fans, but the image in context is even more jaw dropping. The lander is drifting towards the surface of Mars, and the perspective makes it appear that the lander is dropping straight into the 10 kilometre-wide crater Heimdall. Fortunately, the probe is descending 20 kilometres in front of the crater.