Phoenix Mars Mission Touches Down

If you are a fan of space exploration like me, tonight (Sunday night - May 25, 2008), was a huge night. The Phoenix Mars Lander successfully touched down almost seven hours ago. We’ve just now received the first color photographs back (black & white ones were sent earlier to show the condition of the lander as well as its landing site) - you can view the photographs here (NASA.gov). Other than deploying its parachute a little later than expected, it looks like it was a successful landing.

This is the first spacecraft to set down near the North Pole of Mars, and will be looking for water, among other things. It even has a scoop and some small ovens to scoop up materials and look for certain things.

It’s an exciting mission - it was the first successful powered landing since the NASA Viking I & II spacecraft set down in the 1970s.

Relevant Sites:
- Phoenix Mars Mission - Official Site (Arizona.edu)
- Photo Gallery (Arizona.edu)
- Spaceflight Now - Mission Status
- Mars Exploration Overview (NASA.gov)
- Phoenix Mars Lander - (NASA.giv)