Mars probe to head off in search of a drink

The search for life on other worlds can be boiled down to a simple maxim: Follow the water. Life, at least the carbonaceous form we are familiar with, loves water.

Now, for the first time, NASA is about to land a spacecraft in a place on another planet where scientists are confident water exists. The Phoenix Mars lander is set to blast off from Cape Canaveral early Saturday for a journey to near the Martian north pole.

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