Launch of new NASA spacecraft Phoenix with its purpose to study an opportunity of life on the Mars, is planned for August of the current year, informs NASA press-service.
It is known, that spacecraft will study an ice surface of the Red planet in the area of the northern plains. With its help scientists are going to establish, whether the ice near the surface of the planet can periodically melt with sufficient intensity favorable for microbes’ life.
The document of the press-service also says that the spacecraft Phoenix is equipped with the unique scientific devices which have never been used on Mars earlier. The launch is planned from the territory of Florida during a favorable three-week “window”, which will open on third of August. If they launch Phoenix at this time, arrival of the spacecraft to Mars is planned for the spring of 2008.
Experts emphasize, that this new device will be the first attempt to touch and study Martian water. In fact recent researches of water history on the Red planet have shown similarity between our planet and Mars in the past.

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