TUCSON, Ariz. -- A new documentary from Arizona Public Media continues the enthralling story of NASA’s exploration of Mars and the subsequent confirmation of water ice just beneath the planet’s surface.

Phoenix Mars Mission: Onto the Ice documents the experiences of the people responsible for the success – or the failure -- of the Phoenix Mars Mission. The one-hour program premieres Tuesday night October 13 at 9 p.m. on PBS-HD channel 6.

From practice landings and simulations to real-life, heart-pounding "seven minutes of terror" spacecraft decent onto the planet’s surface, Phoenix Mars Mission: Onto the Ice follows Principal Investigator Dr. Peter H. Smith and the rest of the Phoenix Lander team as they work to successfully land an exploratory vehicle on Mars for the first time in over 10 years.

Phoenix Mars Mission: Onto the Ice picks up where the last Phoenix Mars Mission documentary left off, just after the exciting launch from Earth. Phoenix Mars Mission: Ashes to Ice, the first part of this story, captured excitement on a national level in May 2008 by following the team from the creation and construction of the Phoenix Mars Lander to its successful August 2007 launch from Kennedy Space Center.

The Phoenix Mars Mission series documents the exciting beginning of a new era in the search for signs of life on neighboring planets.

Arizona Public Media® is a member-supported non-profit media organization of The University of Arizona, this year celebrating 50 years of public broadcasting service to Southern Arizona. Arizona Public Media (AZPM) station KUAT Channel 6 offers Channel 6-1 PBS-HD; 6-2 V-me (en español); 6-3 Create; and KUAS Channel 27 offers Channel 27-1 PBS-HD; 27-2 PBS Kids; 27-3 PBS World; the UA Channel (Cox 116/Comcast 76), classical music station KUAT-FM 90.5/89.7; NPR affiliate KUAZ 1550AM/89.1 FM; and the Ahora channel (en español) on KUAZ-HD2. AZPM also produces award-winning original local programming from its digital studios on the campus of the University of Arizona in Tucson, Arizona. More information on programming and community events can be found at www.AZpublicmedia.org. Arizona Public Media can also be found at Facebook.com/azpublicmedia and Twitter.com/azpublicmedia

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