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Building on the achievements of the Mars Pathfinder, the lessons learned by the failure of the Mars Polar Lander and the success of the Mars Odyssey in discovering water on the planet, the upcoming Phoenix Mars Mission is rising to the challenge of Mars exploration. With a launch date of August 3, 2007, 5:35 a.m. EDT, the start of a launch window of 20 days, the flight will be the first in the NASA Scout Program. After journeying 171 million miles the Phoenix is scheduled make a powered descent to the planets surface on May 25, 2008.

Using innovative technology, and with a comparatively low cost, the Scouts are intended to complement other major missions. The University of Arizona is leading the mission, becoming the first university to do so, and the Canadian Space Agency as well as the European Space Agency have teamed with the U.S. to develop the advanced technology being used on the flight.

The Phoenix will be using a lander developed for the Mars Surveyor Lander before it was cancelled. Also, they will incorporate complex instruments based on those lost when the landing gear of the Mars Polar Lander was deployed, accidentally shutting off the engine while the lander was still far above the planets surface. Intended, as was the Polar Lander, to collect water ice at the poles, the Phoenix will land on the northern pole of Mars between 65 and 75 north latitude. The mission is planned to last 150 days, during which a robotic arm nearly eight feet long will dig trenches up to a depth of three feet into the water ice, with the layers believed to hold organic compounds. Some of the samples retrieved by the robotic arm will be heated and the resulting volatiles tested for various characteristics.

A stereo camera, based on technology derived from the missions of Pathfinder and Mars Exploration Rover, will be deployed on a mast about six and a half feet tall. Revealing the geology of the landing site, the two images will provide a high-resolution view, along with range maps, helping to locate the best areas for digging. The Phoenix also possess the technology to inspect the atmosphere of the planet up to an altitude of 12.4 miles, examining clouds, fog and dust as well as measuring temperature and atmospheric pressure. It is hoped that the Scout Program could increase the number of landing sites on Mars, with the next Scout mission scheduled for lift-off in 2011. The program also plans for increased international cooperation, especially from France and Italy, and both countries have plans to conduct joint investigations with the U.S., with other countries also expressing interest.

Nancy Houser, author of "A Mars Odyssey," is a freelance writer and illustrator of 30 years. Living in Central Nebraska running a dog rescue, she fills her leisurely time with 13 grandchildren and watching the skies.