Phoenix landed on Mars after a 10-month, 422 million-mile journey. After a week checking out its science instruments, the lander will begin a 90-day mission to study whether the northern polar region possesses the raw ingredients needed for life to emerge.
Phoenix Lander
The last landing from earth was the Mars Rover which was covered with air bags and had a rocky stop, the Phoenix landed on its three legs. It entered the Martian atmosphere at 13,000 mph and slows to around 5 mph when it reached the surface.

This trip is an extremely tough one trying to put a spacecraft safely on Mars. The red planet now has a new visitor and NASA is hoping that this exploration will provide incredible data back for the scientists to study further.

This is the first time we will explore the polar region of Mars.

Rock-On Phoenix!

Photo credits: NASA/JPL-Calech/University of Arizona