Sarah and I taped the landing show on the Science Channel. Thank god we did: it was the worst live television either of us can remember watching. They had some dude that was apparently Canada’s Wolf Blitzer, dubbed by my wife “Grizzly Blitzer.”

But the good news is: the Phoenix probe is safely down on the Martian polar cap, it’s solar panels are deployed and it is relaying it’s first pictures. This is sooooo cool!:

Phoenix Sends First Photos From Martian Arctic Surface | Wired Science from Wired.com

The Phoenix Lander has successfully transmitted a series of photographs from the arctic surface of Mars.

The pictures show the solar panels have deployed fully. Without the solar panels the lander would have run out of power within a few hours. Other photos show Martian terrain and a lander foot pad.