Mon, 26 May 2008 12:16:42 GMT

Phoenix Spacecraft Reports Good Health After Mars Landing. A NASA spacecraft has sent pictures showing itself in good condition after making the first successful landing in a polar region of Mars. The images from NASA’s Mars Phoenix Lander also provided a glimpse of the flat valley floor expected to have water-rich permafrost within reach of the lander’s robotic arm. The landing ends a 422-million-mile journey from Earth and begins a three-month mission that will use instruments to taste and sniff the northern polar site’s soil and ice. [ScienceDaily: Latest Science News]