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Flight of the Phoenix
In the dawn hours of August 4, 2007, NASA's latest Mars lander, designated Phoenix, awaited its departure from Earth. Then, in a burst of fire and smoke, Phoenix rose into the air, fastened to a Delta II rocket and headed for the arctic region of the Red Planet. After traveling about 423 million miles, the craft landed on Mars on May 25 of 2008. Once the lander readies its instruments, it will begin to dig through the surface of the planet to reach the ice beneath. With equipment such as cameras, microscopes, and even ovens, Phoenix will study the history of the frozen water and attempt to identify conditions possible for microbial life. A weather station is also attached to Phoenix, used for tracking Mars's atmosphere and weather. With the help of the Phoenix mission, humans will be ever closer to understanding the mysteries of Mars.
In addition to Phoenix, NASA launched another spacecraft, Dawn, on September 27, 2007, at 7:25 a.m. from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Dawn is on a long journey towards two asteroids, Vesta and Ceres, in hopes of finding out more about the early universe. It will arrive at Vesta in 2011, and Ceres in 2015.
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