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America's latest mission to Mars is well on its way tonight.

The Mars Polar Lander pierced an overcast sky as it roared away from Cape Canaveral this afternoon.

The spacecraft is scheduled to set down on the fringes of Mars' south pole in December.

It'll use a mechanical arm and shovel to sample the martian surface for signs of water ice, and drop metal probes into the gound for a deeper search.

The lander is also equipped with a microphone to listen for sounds on the red planet.

The Polar Lander did leave home without something. The two metal probes it will plunge beneath the martian surface have no names.

Nasa holding a contest to find a suitable pair. They can be named after people, places or things from history, mythology or fiction.

But the two names must relate to one another and the people they're named after must be dead.

You also have to submit a brief essay explaining your choices.

For more information go to nmp.jpl.nasa.gov/ds2/contest/index.html.