Launched in August 2007, the Phoenix Mars Mission is the first in NASA's Scout Program. Phoenix is designed to study the history of water and habitability potential in the Martian arctic's ice-rich soil.

The Phoenix Mars Mission has a collaborative approach to space exploration. As the very first of NASA's Mars Scout class, Phoenix combines legacy and innovation in a framework of a true partnership: government, academia, and industry. Scout class missions are led by a scientist, known as a Principal Investigator (PI). Peter Smith of the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory serves as Phoenix's PI and is responsible for all aspects of the mission.

And don't forget, on board the spacecraft is a very special DVD, carrying Visions of Mars – a collection of 19th and 20th century science fiction stories, essays, and art inspired by the Red Planet – as well as the names of more than a quarter million inhabitants of Earth, including anyone who was a Planetary Society member on February 11, 2007.

On May 25, 2008, NASA’s Phoenix Mars Lander will touch down near Mars’ north polar cap. To celebrate this exciting event we are holding special Phoenix landing parties. Our main celebration will be Planetfest '08: New Visions of Mars held in Pasadena.