Marc Kaufman: Good afternoon. Nasa's Phoenix lander is scheduled to touch down near the North Pole of Mars on Sunday. It's on a search for ice, water and ultimately signs of past (or conceivably current) life. This search for life forms beyond Earth is a major emphasis of NASA and the relatively new science of astrobiology is growing fast. We can never tell what missions like Phoenix will find -- or if the lander will even land safely -- but the science is certainly compelling and possibly quite important. On to your questions.
Bronx, N.Y.: Are there any considered plans to land on Phobos and Deimos to set up observation/jump-off missions?
Marc Kaufman: None that I'm aware of. I believe the Russians tried to land on Phobos some years ago and missed. All the information I've read and discussions I've had about a future manned mission to Mars involved a direct flight from Earth -- or from a jump-off station on the moon -- to Mars.
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