Phoenix Reaches Original Mission Goal
The Mars Phoenix Lander reaches its 90th Martian day, fulfilling the hopes of NASA researchers. It catches this sunrise the next morning.
"Life on Mars" Rumors Squashed
After rumors that NASA was about to announce an unexpected discovery about the "potential for life" on Mars surfaced on the Internet, the agency held a press conference to announce their real findi...
Mars Possibly Less Habitable for Life
For a short time, it appeared that Mars might be less habitable than previously thought. Alexis Madrigal wrote, "Aviation Week reporter Craig Covault, who broke the news of a major discovery impa...
Rumors Abound About the "Potential for Life" on Mars
In what ultimately turned out to be disappointing, the Internet soil proved fertile ground for the seed of an Aviation Week story about a major impending announcement about "the potential for life"...
Chemical Test Confirms Water on Mars
After a trying period of unsuccessful attempts to get ice samples into the Mars Phoenix Lander's thermal analyzer, scientists finally succeeded in delivering one to the instrument. The results came...
50th Anniversary of NASA's Creation
"The National Aeronautics and Space Administration observed the 50th anniversary of its creation. And make no mistake: There's a lot to celebrate. NASA's achievements write a glorious chapter in hu...
Mars Phoenix Rasp Shreds Tough Martian Ice
Having difficulty using its "shovel" to dig in to the hard Martian ice, the Phoenix brought out a rasp to "We added the rasp to the robotic arm design specifically to grind into very hard surface...
Mars Phoenix Posts Gallery of 3D Pics
14 images handpicked by Mark Lemmon, SSI lead scientist from Texas A&M University, College Station.
Phoenix Forks Martian Soil
Phoenix Mars Lander touched Martian soil with a fork-like probe for the first time and begun using a microscope that examines shapes of tiny particles by touching them.
Phoenix Chugs Along
The core scientific research program continued through the middle of the mission, dropping samples into various types of equipment to get a better read on the composition of Martian soil.
The Mars Ice FAQ: How Do You Know It's Water?
Loretta Hidalgo Whitesides broke down exactly how scientists knew that the hard, white substance that looked like water ice was, in fact, water ice.
Mars Phoenix Tweets: "We have ice!"
"Are you ready to celebrate? Well, get ready: We have ICE!!!!! Yes, ICE, *WATER ICE* on Mars! w00t!!! Best day ever!!" the Mars Phoenix Lander tweeted at about 5:15 pm. The confirmation that wa...
Mars Phoenix "Shovel" Hits a Hard, Shiny Layer
That turned out to be ice. Scientists were restrained, and it took a while to confirm, but they knew it was a pretty good bet the layer was ice. Loretta Hidalgo Whitesides wrote, "Even if it is a...
Mars Phoenix Obtains a Full Soil Sample
NASA managers had a difficult time getting soil samples into its testing ovens, but a little simple engineering took care of the problem. "It's like putting flour through a sieve. Even though the...
Comms Glitch Delays Phoenix Mission
In one of the rare hiccups for the mission, the Lander had trouble communicating, but engineers quickly repaired the problem.
Wired Science Reveals Mars Phoenix Twitter Voice
Most unfortunately, @MarsPhoenix isn't actually a sentient robot with an iPhone and a Twitter handle. In reality, a Jet Propulsion Lab staff member has slowly but surely become the first-person voi...
The Lander Prepares to Dig into Martian Soil
The Phoenix lander got set to move its 7 foot robotic arm. It unlatched its wrist and flexed its elbow.
Mars Orbiters Capture Phoenix in Flight
Today the University of Arizona, who manages the HiRISE camera for the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, released a stunning image of the Phoenix lander hanging from its parachute, diving past a huge cr...
Gallery: Pictures Stream Back to Earth
The Phoenix Mars Lander, which completed a heart-stopping, autonomous landing on the Martian surface, began beaming pictures the millions of miles back to Earth.
Mars Phoenix Touches Down
After traveling more than 400 million miles during its 10-month journey from Earth, the Phoenix Lander touched down safely and sent its first signals from the Martian arctic surface.
Phoenix Sends First Images from Mars
The Phoenix Lander successfully transmitted a series of photographs from the arctic surface of Mars.The pictures showed the solar panels have deployed fully. Without the solar panels the lander wou...
Researchers Prepare for a Nail-Biting Landing
This gallery takes you inside Phoenix's Mojave mission control room.
Astronomers Hoping to Find Water
"If we're successful, this mission will be remembered for being the first to do direct analysis of ice or water on the surface of Mars," said NASA's Mike Gross, who engineered the mission's scienti...
Mars Phoenix Launches
The spacecraft was launched into space at 5:26 am EDT aboard a Boeing Delta II rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Base.
NASA Decides to Go Ahead with Phoenix Mission
After a stillborn attempt years earlier, NASA revived the lander's mission, giving it the name Phoenix. (Hah.) The AP wrote, "NASA is moving ahead with plans to put a long-armed lander on Mars' i...
