U.S. spacecraft lands safely at Mars north pole (Reuters)

This artist's concept depicts NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander after its planned touchdown on the arctic plains of Mars. (NASA/JPL-Calech/University of Arizona/Handout/Reuters) Reuters - A small science probe blazed through the salmon-colored skies of Mars on Sunday, touching down on a frozen desert at the planet's north pole to search for water and assess conditions for sustaining life, NASA officials said.