AllMovie

Though mankind's fascination with the planet Mars persists, only a fraction of the attempts to land on that terrain, during the late 20th and early 21st century, hit their intended target. One of the most triumphant missions materialized in the form of the Phoenix Mars Mission, a robotic craft launched in August 2007 that took around nine months to reach the legendary Red Planet, touching down in late May 2008. As originally produced for PBS, the documentary Phoenix Mars Mission: Ashes to Ice observes the many preparatory events leading up to the initial launch, including testing of the scientific instruments by the University of Arizona, the configuration of the soil analyzer ovens, and much more - all subject to a race against the clock as many individuals struggled to ready the craft for a Cape Canaveral launch before time ran out.