Click on the image for movie of
Phoenix's Path to Mars
This artist's animation shows the route NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander took to
get from Earth to Mars. The spacecraft's path is shown in yellow, and the
orbits of Mars and Earth are shown in red and blue, respectively.
Phoenix was launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla., on Aug.
4, 2007, when Earth and Mars were 195 million kilometers (121 million
miles) apart. It will have traveled a total of 679 million kilometers (422
million miles) when it is scheduled to reach Mars on May 25, 2008. At that
time, Earth and Mars will be farther apart, at 276 million kilometers (171
million miles).
The Phoenix Mission is led by the University of Arizona, Tucson, on
behalf of NASA. Project management of the mission is by NASA's Jet
Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif. Spacecraft development is by
Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver
