Spirits at the Canadian Space Agency have taken off.

And who can blame scientists for being excited, given the recent arrival on Mars of the Phoenix lander, a $420-million NASA spacecraft with the first Canadian technology to reach the Red Planet?

"It's been amazing, awesome, incredible," said Dr. Alain Berinstain, of the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). "This week has been momentous, historic, emotional ...picture perfect."

After a nervous week of tests to ensure all the lander's instruments -- including Canada's $37-million meteorological station -- survived the 10-month, 276,000,000-km journey, Phoenix team members are finally seeing results.

The spacecraft, which landed May 25, is looking for signs of ice, proof that water existed and the planet might be habitable.

"Seeing the first pictures back (after) the landing was something else," said Berinstain, director of space astronomy and planetary exploration for the CSA. "Just seeing all this work is actually paying off is an experience in itself."

Detailed images of Mars' surface have already beamed back from the Phoenix. Later this week its robotic arm is prepped to begin digging, according to scientists.

Gusts from Phoenix's descent thrusters uncovered what looks to be ice, but more tests are required to determine what's there.

Project leaders are monitoring and controlling Phoenix from the University of Arizona in Tucson, where the lander's data and findings from its 90-day mission are retrieved.

HARSH ARCTIC PLAINS

It is the first craft to explore Mars' Arctic region at ground level, and the Canadian weather station aboard Phoenix is also providing data on the harsh conditions on the planet's northern plains.

The verdict? A true Canuck forecast -- even in June, there's a low of -80C.

Phoenix's early stages have not gone without problems. In the design of the lander, engineers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratories (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif., struggled to find a mechanism that could drill into Mars' crust to help a robotic scoop find samples to analyze.

After a flurry of tests, it was found the ideal material was that used on a Bosch tile cutting bit, a part available in the aisles of Home Hardware for about $20.

Despite being "highly modified," JPL technologist Greg Peters admitted the system is incredibly simple -- remarkable evidence that even one planet over, help is still close to home.

SHORT-CIRCUIT

Phoenix had a relatively smooth ride until an intermittent short-circuit was reported late Thursday night on the device that will analyze soil and ice dug from the planet's surface.

But the hiccup isn't considered critical. Scientists have identified the problem and are working on a solution.

"There's no reason to think we're not going to meet all the mission's objectives," said Berinstain, who was in Tucson last week as Phoenix reached Mars.

The main objective, of course, is to find ice. The discovery of water would prove the Red Planet possesses the crucial building block for sustaining life.

Scientists suspect they will find something similar to Earth's permafrost several centimetres below the crust. Earlier Mars rovers and orbiters have sent back information that water probably existed there billions of years ago.

Unlike past spacecraft, which probed near the equator of Mars, the Phoenix will investigate the Arctic region, where microbial molecules -- an indicator of the potential for life -- are better preserved.

2 YEARS OF SUPPLIES

"All signs have shown it's there, but we always wanted to know where did that water go," Dr. Jim Whiteway, head of the Phoenix's Canadian team from York University, told the Sun.

"If we find it under the surface, then the planet is much more habitable to humans than previously thought."

When exactly a human will be able to walk on Mars is anyone's guess. Scientists offer different viewpoints, but the general estimate is that it will take at least 20 years.

The flight to Earth's nearest neighbour is so long an astronaut would need almost two years of supplies just to stay alive for the duration of the trip.

A propulsion system required to lift a ship off Mars' surface and return it to Earth is far from complete.

"It's one thing to lose a box of goodies up there that may have cost a few hundred million," said Dr. Allan Carswell, one of Canada's pre-eminent space scientists and a member of the Phoenix team.

"It's another when you're dealing with one or two or three astronauts."

One thing's certain: It will cost a staggering amount to put a human on the surface of Mars.

"It would take the co-operation of many countries because it's going to be so expensive to accomplish," said Sara Poirier, an astronomer at the Ontario Science Centre who did her graduate work at the International Space University in France.

If Canada wants to be a part of the mission, Poirier points out, it will have to be with the assistance of another space program.

CSA funding has been on a steady decline since 1998 and -- despite the success of the Phoenix -- is set to dip from $368 million this year to $332 million by 2010.

"We're going to have to be a little more aggressive to maintain our foothold in space exploration," Poirier said. "We're going to need that at the government level."

Minister of Industry Jim Prentice, res ponsible for the CSA's budget, was unavailable for comment.

But scientists are not deterred by dwindling resources, as the money allotted to them has allowed Canadian science to carve out a rather successful niche in the global market of space research.

Canadian space scientists have a polished reputation as innovators in the use of micro technology -- small and efficient mechanisms that gather information in space.

Phoenix's Canadian-supplied meteorological station isn't much bigger than a shoe box. A device that measures global pollution and could fit in the palm of someone's hand was launched aboard an Indian spacecraft in April.

"We choose our missions carefully," Berinstain said. "It's a case of choosing roles that demonstrate our unique Canadian expertise -- critical roles to other missions designed within our budget."

Berinstain points to the Canadarm -- our most iconic space technology -- as proof of his point. The cost of the robotic arm, which services and maintains the International Space Station, comprises just 2.3% of the space station's budget.

'WORLD-CLASS SCIENCE'

Even on the Phoenix, Canada's financial contribution hovers around 8% of the total cost; about 20% of the space team comes from north of the border.

"In both cases we've made a much higher impact on overall activity than the money we've had to use," he said.

"This just confirms Canadians do world-class science."

Indeed, homegrown space technology has allowed us to step out from the shadow of NASA, which has a budget of more than $17 billion each year.

And while the partnership has been extremely successful for both sides, new players like Japan and China could be possible partners in the future.