December 12, 2007
Orbiting satellites and two hardy rovers have been sending back exciting evidence in recent years that the red planet once hosted oceans, rivers, and lakes of liquid water. Now a new robotic mission may finally solve the mystery of whether Mars was ever warm and wet enough for life.
On August 4, 2007, the Phoenix Mars Lander is slated to begin its journey to the frozen reaches of the red planet's northern hemisphere.
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Find out why scientists designed this latest mission, and catch up on the most compelling evidence that suggests Mars had a watery history—and that life may still be lurking below its surface.
Photos:
 | Photo in the News: Ice Lake Found on Mars (August 2, 2005) Life on Mars? Who knows? Ice on Mars? Most definitely—and now we've got more cold, hard evidence. |
 | Photo in the News: "Frozen Sea" Seen on Mars (February 23, 2005) Martian pack ice is clearly visible for the first time, scientists say. It may be the best evidence yet of past seas, and it adds credence to the idea of life on Mars. |
Stories:
 | Alien Life May Be "Weirder" Than Scientists Think, Report Says (July 6, 2007) Scientists need to rethink what constitutes life in their search for ETs and seek out so-called weird life-forms that could thrive in extreme environments, a new report says. |
 | Mars Once Had Oceans, New Evidence Suggests (June 13, 2007) A large basin on Mars's northern plains really did once hold a giant ocean, suggests new research into the planet's shifting poles. |
 | Mars Rovers Find "Best Evidence Yet" of Water (May 23, 2007) An accidental skid by the Mars rover Spirit turned up what experts say is proof that the red planet was once quite wet. |
 | Mars's Ice Patchy, Water Cycle Quite Active, Study Reveals (May 2, 2007) Detailed new scans show that the depth of the red planet's underground ice layer is extremely variable, coming within an inch (2.5 centimeters) of the surface in some places. |
 | Mars Water Traces Left by Springs, Not Seas, Experts Say (March 7, 2007) Curious deposits on Mars that originally appeared to be signs of an ancient ocean were instead produced by water emerging from underground, a new study finds. |
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