Phoenix (spacecraft) other institutions. The $325 million NASA award is more than six times larger than any other single research grant in University of Arizona history. Peter H. Smith of the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, as Principal Investigator, along with 24 Co-Investigators, were selected to lead the mission. The mission was named after the Phoenix, a mythological bird that is repeatedly reborn from its own ashes. The "Phoenix" spacecraft contains several previously built components. The lander used for the 2007–08 mission is the modified Mars Surveyor 2001 Lander (canceled in 2000), along with several of the instruments from both
Birds in Chinese mythology a Three-legged crow. The Qingniao is associated with the Queen Mother of the West, bearing her messages or bringing her food (Yang 2005, 219 and Christie 1968, 78). Some birds feature as part of visions of the mythological geography of China. According to the "Shanhaijing" and it's commentaries, the Bifang can be found on Mount Zhang'e and/or east of the Feathered People (Youmin) and west of the Blue River (Strassberg 2002, 110 and 163) Certain birds in mythology transport deities, immortals, or others. One example is the Crane in Chinese mythology. Other birds include the Bi Fang bird, a one-legged