On this day in space! Aug. 4, 2007: NASA launches Phoenix Mars lander to Red Planet

On Aug. 4, 2007, NASA launched its Phoenix Mars Lander on a mission to touch down on Mars.The robotic spacecraft was designed to search for environments that could be suitable for microbial life and to study the history of water on the Red Planet. It lifted off atop a Delta II rocket at about 5:30 a.m. ET from what is now Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida and spent almost 10 months making its way to Mars. When it arrived at the Red Planet, it landed farther north than any spacecraft