Mars Under the Microscope

For the first time in human history, Earthlings commenced a microscopic view of the Martian soil [video] in seeking answers to how The Red Planet evolved over the past several million years.

Images from Phoenix's microscope unveiled Friday show a speck of dark, glassy material that likely is the remnant of an ancient volcanic eruption, said Tom Pike, a leading scientist with the lander's microscope.

"This is the highest resolution image of the soil of Mars," said the mission's geology team leader, Tom Pike of University College London, [video]. "This is the first time we've reached down to this level."

Here is more detial from The Arizona Daily Star, Science News, and The Tuscon Citizen. The $420-million Phoenix Mars Lander mission is lead by the University of Arizona from the Science Operations Center in Tuscon, AZ.