Mars Phoenix Lander, 10 Years Later

In this artist’s concept illustration, NASA’s Phoenix Lander begins to shut down operations as martian winter sets in. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona

Ten years ago this past week, a robot named Phoenix landed in the northern plains of Mars. The mission lasted a little over five months before the lander succumbed to the frigid martian winter, about two months longer than planned. Unlike Spirit and Opportunity, its roving older siblings near the equator, Phoenix was a stationary lander positioned at 68°N latitude—above the Arctic Circle on Earth (for any fellow Canadians out…