A rich and diverse scientific payload has been chosen from the instruments selected through the NASA review process for the Mars Polar Lander and the shelved Mars Surveyor 2001 mission. The Scout spacecraft and science payload is well matched to carry out an up-close inspection of Martian arctic soils for clues to geologic history and potential as a habitat for biology.
The Phoenix lander brings to that distant world an acronym-rich set of top-notch science gear:
A follow-on lander was being tested to fly as part of the 2001 Mars Surveyor program, but this work was halted after the failure. That gear was stored in a clean room at Lockheed Martin in Denver in 2000. Phoenix, in effect, was created from the embers of previous missions.