The American spacecraft Phoenix landed on Mars on the evening of May 25 as part of a program to study the possibility of the emergence of life on the planet. Phoenix was launched by NASA in August 2007.

The device reached the surface of the red planet at approximately 23:38 (Moscow time), and, according to NASA, the landing signal arrived on Earth with a 15-minute delay at 23:53 (Moscow time) since that is how long it takes to travel from Mars to Earth.

It is assumed that Phoenix will study the icy surface of the Red Planet in the northern plains. Using an uninhabited vehicle, we will try to determine whether ice near the surface of Mars can periodically melt with sufficient intensity to create a favorable environment for microbial life,” the NASA press service reported. To perform this task, Phoenix is equipped with unique scientific instruments that have never been seen before were not used on Mars, the document notes.

Phoenix will study the history of Martian ice and determine how liquid water changed the chemistry and mineralogy of the soil. In addition, the device will search for primitive microbes on Mars, and will also monitor Martian weather and the interaction of the atmosphere with the surface of the Red Planet.

Soft landing of spacecraft on Mars is a complex operation and a rather rare occurrence. Of the 15 attempts to land on the planet, only five were successful. Previous successful landings on Mars were also made by the American spacecraft Viking-1 and Viking-2.

Let us recall that on September 27, 2007, the successful launch of the NASA Dawn spacecraft took place in the US state of Florida. The launch was later than planned due to ground interference. The spacecraft will study the asteroids Vesta and Ceres between Mars and Jupiter. This will help to understand the processes that took place in the solar system 4.5 billion years ago.

Phoenix spacecraft lands on Mars