Phoenix Mars lander probe. Part of the Phoenix lander spacecraft's robotic arm. At centre is the thermal and electrical conductivity probe. Below this is the scoop used to pick up samples from the surface. Phoenix was launched on 4th August 2007 and landed on Mars on 25th May 2008. It is the first successful landing on a polar region of Mars and the sixth successful Mars landing. This mission's aim is to research the history of water on Mars and to evaluate the environment for any past (or potential future) microbial life on the planet. Image obtained on 14th July 2008 (Sol 49), using the Surface Stereo Imager (SSI).