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The Phoenix probe has landed on Mars, something that you might not think is all that amazing unless you realize there hasn't been a successful soft landing on the red planet since the Viking landers in 1976 (thanks APOD). You may recall that the rovers that landed there four years ago came down hard on airbag-like devices to bounce a bit before finally coming to rest.

There are two notable items that came along for the ride this time around. The first is an American flag, which probably isn't all that unusual. The second is a data DVD featuring the names of Planetary Society members and some books about Mars, along with a note for astronauts to take the disc with them when they find the lander. How much was it to get on that disc? I'd like to find out if another one is headed offworld. I'd love to put my kids names on one of those. Talk about a great bedtime story to tell!

The lander's mission is an interesting one, focusing on analyzing the soils of the northern pole. It's theorized that if anyplace on Mars is going to have water ice it will be in the soil at the poles, so we might see some interesting findings from the little spacecraft in the months ahead. Like many probes, it has a short mission lifespan, just 90 days, that will hopefully be greatly extended by additional funding as it shows success with its research.

Check out the full picture above and more at SpaceFlightNow.