Source: NASA/JPL-Caltech

NASA announced on Tuesday that everything is on course for Phoenix Lander's dissent in to Mars' atmosphere on May 25th. The Lander will be making an unprecedented attempt at landing on the Martian ice caps and will be sending the first known data of the martian planet within days of landing.

The lander will be making the amazing journey at a mere 17,000 mph and will touch down on the planet as early as 7:53 pm, according to NASA scientists. The solar powered robot will then extend its nearly eight foot scoop and begin to dig through the ice and soil on Mars. The hopes are to find evidence of microbial life and begin to analyze at what extent life can or cannot exist on the planet.

Have a question about the landing? Submit your question here on the blog or in our community area for a chance to be answered during the NGC Blog's Live-blogging event on May 25th.

For more on the Mission go to the Phoenix Lander's Official Site

*** The Phoenix mission is led by Smith with project management at JPL. The development partnership is with Lockheed Martin, Denver. International contributions are from the Canadian Space Agency; the University of Neuchatel, Switzerland; the universities of Copenhagen and Aarhus, Denmark; the Max Planck Institute, Germany; and the Finnish Meteorological Institute. Source: NASA ***