KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLA. -- The top of NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander can be seen inside the mobile service tower of Launch Pad 17-A at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Launch of Phoenix on the Delta II launch vehicle is scheduled for no earlier than Aug. 3. Phoenix will land in icy soils near the north polar permanent ice cap of Mars and explore the history of the water in these soils and any associated rocks, while monitoring polar climate. Landing on Mars is planned in May 2008 on arctic ground where a mission currently in orbit, Mars Odyssey, detected high concentrations of ice just beneath the top layer of soil. NASA/George Shelton
Location Kennedy Space Center, FL
Date July 23, 2007