PREVIOUS Nasa explorations to the red planet include Mars Phoenix, which launched in August 2007.

The probe was part of the continuing pursuit of water on Mars.

Phoenix landed farther north than any previous mission, at a latitude equivalent to that of northern Alaska.

During the course of its three-month mission, Phoenix dug into an ice-rich layer near the surface.

Mars Global Surveyor, was launched in November 1996.

It was the first successful mission to the red planet in two decades.

The mission completed a study of the entire Martian surface, atmosphere and interior.

Nasa's Viking 1 & 2 was launched in August 1975.

The Viking project found a place in history when it became the first U.S. mission to land a spacecraft safely on the surface of Mars and return images of the surface.