NASA readies Phoenix for August launch

WASHINGTON, July 9 (UPI) -- The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is getting ready for a Mars mission that will look beneath the surface for evidence of life.

Instead of roving to hills or craters, NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander will dig into the icy soil of the planet's northern plains. The robot will investigate whether frozen water near the surface might periodically melt enough to sustain a livable environment for microbes. To accomplish that and other goals, NASA said Phoenix will carry a set of advanced research tools never before used on Mars.

"Our 'follow the water' strategy for exploring Mars has yielded a string of dramatic discoveries in recent years about the history of water on a planet where similarities with Earth were much greater in the past than they are today," said Doug McCuistion, director of NASA's Mars Exploration Program. "Phoenix will complement our strategic exploration of Mars by being our first attempt to actually touch and analyze Martian water -- water in the form of buried ice."

Phoenix is scheduled to be launched during a three-week period beginning Aug. 3 and arrive at Mars next spring.