Go to this link or look below for a picture of Phoenix with its chute deployed as it descends to the Martian surface. It was taken by one of the Mars orbiters.
This is truly a first. There has never been a picture taken of a vehicle landing on another planet. The Phoenix lander promises many great discoveries, but for emotional impact it'll have a tough time topping this.
I don't know how to load the picture, which is why I linked to the site. If anyone knows how to do that please let me know. Update. With the help of mbyarob the picture is now posted.
I know this is not the usual subject for DKos, but this really is worth sharing.
http://i207.photobucket.com/...