On Launch Pad 17 A at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station is raised off the transporter beneath the mobile service tower.

On Launch Pad 17-A at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, the first stage of a Delta II rocket is raised off the transporter beneath the mobile service tower. The rocket is the launch vehicle for the Phoenix spacecraft, targeted for launch on Aug. 3 heading for Mars. Phoenix will land in icy soils near the north polar permanent ice cap of Mars and explore the history of the water in these soils and any associated rocks, while monitoring polar climate. Landing on Mars is planned in May 2008 on arctic ground where a mission currently in orbit, Mars Odyssey, has detected high concentrations of ice just beneath the top layer of soil. Photo credit: NASA/Amanda Diller