Phoenix, U.S. space probe launched by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on Aug. 4, 2007; it landed on May 25, 2008, in the north polar region of Mars. Phoenix’s main objective was to collect and analyze soil samples in order to provide answers to the questions of whether the Martian arctic can support life, what the history of water is at the landing site, and how Martian climate is affected by polar dynamics.