NASA’s Phoenix Mars Lander took the first sample of soil this weekend, as part of a test of the lander’s Robotic Arm, scientists unveiled on Monday. The practice scoop appeared to be a mixture of soil and clumps of embedded ice.

The first sample of Martian soil was photographed with the help of the Robotic Arm Camera, prior to being emptied onto a designated spot on the ground.

The next scoop is expected to take place later in the week, when the soil sample will be analyzed by an instrument that heats and sniffs it to identify ingredients.

The bright material in the Martian soil could be ice or salt, as Ray Ardvison of Washington University in St. Louis, Phoenix co-investigator for the Robotic Arm, said. He also added that mission scientists are eager to do testing of the next three surface samples collected nearby to learn more.

The photograph of the first scoop of Martian soil was a color image thanks to the red, green and blue lights of the Robotic Arm Camera. By combining separate images created with different illumination, scientists are able to recreate color images, Pat Woida, senior engineer on the Phoenix team explained.

Collecting a small sample of the Martian soil was the second part of the Robotic Arm testing phase that took place over the weekend. The first was making an imprint on the ground, in order to test the lander’s ability to guide the arm to specific points.

It is for the first time that a Mars mission reaches so far north, with the clear purpose of determining whether the Red Planet is a setting for past or future forms of life. The Mars Lander will examine the soil in place at the surface, at the icy layer and in between, and will take multiple samples for analysis.