Martian ice melts in this combination photo taken by Phoenix Mars Lander's Surface Stereo Imager on June 15 and 18 in this handout image released by NASA on Saturday. A trench dug by Phoenix with its robotic arm at the arctic circle of Mars shows dice-sized chunks of white material that are seen to melt away over the course of several days. The presence of water on Mars is crucial because it is a key to the question of whether life exists or has ever existed on Mars.
— Reuters
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Washington, June 21
Scientists rejoiced after the Phoenix Mars lander confirmed their long-held belief that ice is hiding under the surface in the red planet’s northern region.
The lander’s robotic arm started digging trenches into the Martian soil yesterday after touching down near the planet's North Pole on May 25, revealing a white substance that scientists had said could be either salt or ice.
Phoenix flexed its arm again to enlarge a trench on June 15. It then took pictures of eight bright bits of material the size of dice inside the hole, which scientists dubbed “Dodo-Goldilocks”.
When the lander took new photographs of the trench four days later on Thursday, the material had vanished, settling the debate about whether it was salt or ice.
— AFP
