Reaching Mars is a hard and unforgiving endeavor, with little room for error. More than two-thirds of the 36 missions launched toward Mars have been lost due to failed components, rocket glitches or grievous errors that sent probes crashing into the martian surface or missing the planet altogether.

With NASA’s Phoenix lander arriving at the red planet in 2008, here’s a look at the best — and worst — Mars landings of all time.

— Tariq Malik, SPACE.com Senior Editor