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| Version 6 | Version 7 |
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| Mars probe touches down | Mars probe touches down |
| (19 minutes later) | |
| The US space agency Nasa has landed a spacecraft on the surface of Mars. | The US space agency Nasa has landed a spacecraft on the surface of Mars. |
| The Mars Phoenix lander touched down late on Sunday GMT in the far north of the Red Planet, after a 680-million-km (423-million-mile) journey from Earth. | The Mars Phoenix lander touched down late on Sunday GMT in the far north of the Red Planet, after a 680-million-km (423-million-mile) journey from Earth. |
| The probe is equipped with a robotic arm to dig for water ice thought to be buried beneath the surface. | The probe is equipped with a robotic arm to dig for water ice thought to be buried beneath the surface. |
| Scientists say the mission should give the clearest indication yet of whether the planet could once have harboured primitive life. | Scientists say the mission should give the clearest indication yet of whether the planet could once have harboured primitive life. |
| The Phoenix lander reached the surface of Mars at 2353 GMT on 25 May (1953 EDT; 0053 BST on 26 May). | |
| The final seven minutes of the probe's ten-month journey were regarded as the riskiest part of the mission. | |
| The main goal of the mission is to get below the surface of Mars to where we are almost certain there is water Dr Tom Pike Phoenix Diary: Mission to Mars | The main goal of the mission is to get below the surface of Mars to where we are almost certain there is water Dr Tom Pike Phoenix Diary: Mission to Mars |
| After it entered the top of the Martian atmosphere at nearly 21,000km/h (13,000 mph), the probe had to perform a series of manoeuvres to come safely to rest. | |
| It released a parachute, used pulsed thrusters to slow to a fast walking speed, then descended the last few metres to the Martian soil. | |
| Engineers and managers at Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California clapped and cheered when landing was confirmed. | |
| "Phoenix has landed - welcome to the northern plain of Mars," a flight controller announced. | |
| Phoenix landed further north than previous missions | |
| In the next few hours, if all goes to plan, Phoenix will open its solar arrays and begin powering its batteries for the three-month science mission. | |
| It will use a robotic arm to dig through the protective Martian topsoil and lift samples of both soil and ice to its deck for scientific analysis. | |
| Building blocks | Building blocks |
| Dr Tom Pike of Imperial College, London, is part of the British team involved in the project. | Dr Tom Pike of Imperial College, London, is part of the British team involved in the project. |
| "The main goal of the mission is to get below the surface of Mars to where we are almost certain there is water," he told BBC News. | "The main goal of the mission is to get below the surface of Mars to where we are almost certain there is water," he told BBC News. |
| "The orbiters that are around Mars have already surveyed in great detail the area in which we are landing and we know that there is ice - solid water - 10cm, or maybe even less, below the surface. | "The orbiters that are around Mars have already surveyed in great detail the area in which we are landing and we know that there is ice - solid water - 10cm, or maybe even less, below the surface. |
| "Water, of course, is of critical importance because it is one of the building blocks - one of the essential habitats we need - for life." | "Water, of course, is of critical importance because it is one of the building blocks - one of the essential habitats we need - for life." |
| Landing on Mars is a notoriously tricky business. Of the 11 previous attempts to land probes on Mars since 1971 - only five have succeeded. | |
| Phoenix carries seven science instruments | Phoenix carries seven science instruments |
| Phoenix is an apt name for the current mission, as it rose from the ashes of two previous failures. | Phoenix is an apt name for the current mission, as it rose from the ashes of two previous failures. |
| In September 1999, the Mars Climate Orbiter spacecraft crashed into the Red Planet following a navigation error caused when technicians mixed up "English" (imperial) and metric units. | In September 1999, the Mars Climate Orbiter spacecraft crashed into the Red Planet following a navigation error caused when technicians mixed up "English" (imperial) and metric units. |
| A few months later, another Nasa spacecraft, the Mars Polar Lander (MPL), was lost near the planet's South Pole. | A few months later, another Nasa spacecraft, the Mars Polar Lander (MPL), was lost near the planet's South Pole. |
| Phoenix uses hardware from an identical twin of MPL, the Mars Surveyor 2001 Lander, which was cancelled following the two consecutive failures. | Phoenix uses hardware from an identical twin of MPL, the Mars Surveyor 2001 Lander, which was cancelled following the two consecutive failures. |
| The probe was launched on 4 August 2007 on a Delta II rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. | The probe was launched on 4 August 2007 on a Delta II rocket from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. |
| Do you think the landing will be successful? Have you been following the probe's progress? Have you got any questions for our expert on the landing? Send your comments and questions using the post form below, or text 61124: | Do you think the landing will be successful? Have you been following the probe's progress? Have you got any questions for our expert on the landing? Send your comments and questions using the post form below, or text 61124: |