Image of the day: Don't Fall on Me

The final destination of NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander appears in the lower right of this image of northern Mars.

Phoenix is slated to land on the martian northern plains near 68 degrees north latitude, 127 degrees west longitude on May 26, 2008. The lander has relied on the electronic eyes of several Mars orbiters to scout out possible landing sites, particularly NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) that is now monitoring the weather around the landing area. This MRO image from several weeks ago reflects a view of a late spring season in Mars' northern hemisphere.

A successful Phoenix touchdown would represent the first successful powered Mars landing in over three decades, and would help NASA's study of whether Mars could have once supported life. The lander will sample the arctic plain for soil and water ice in its search for habitable conditions.

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