Ice Found On Mars.

[Nuclear]

http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/06/mars-phoenix-tw.html

There is water ice on Mars within reach of the Mars Phoenix Lander, NASA scientists announced Thursday. Photographic evidence settles the debate over the nature of the white material seen in photographs sent back by the craft. As seen in lower left of this image, chunks of the ice sublimed (changed directly from solid to gas) over the course of four days, after the lander's digging exposed them.
"It must be ice," said the Phoenix Lander's lead investigator, Peter Smith. "These little clumps completely disappearing over the course of a few days, that is perfect evidence that it's ice."
The confirmation that water ice exists in the area directly surrounding the lander is big and good news for the Martian mission. NASA's stated goal for the Mars Phoenix was to find exactly this -- water ice -- and then analyze it. With the latest news, the first step is accomplished. All that's left now is to get the water into the Phoenix's instruments, a task which has occasionally proven more difficult than anticipated.
Still, this is the best opportunity that humanity has ever had to analyze extraterrestrial water in any form. That had the Phoenix Lander's persona fired up.
"Are you ready to celebrate? Well, get ready: We have ICE!!!!! Yes, ICE, *WATER ICE* on Mars! w00t!!! Best day ever!!" the Mars Phoenix Lander tweeted at about 5:15 pm.

Their suspicions about water ice beneath the surface of Mars confirmed, scientists and the world will have renewed interest in the outcome of the soil analyses currently being conducted by the lander.
The samples are being examined for traces of organic molecules, among other substances, but the lander does not have instruments that could directly detect life.
See the full announcement from NASA. Or check out Loretta Hidalgo Whitesides' excellent new primer, "The Mars Ice FAQ: How Do You Know It's Water?"

How interesting

[neoptolemos]

It was predicted that ice could exist on Mars and probably will be the most interesting thing to investigate upon the planet!
Don't forget that comets are nothing more than big ice-cubes!

[Valiant Champion]

Have they placed it in the analyzer yet? From my understanding they are making the assumption based on disappearing white stuff. The first samples they tested showed absolutely no water.

Hopefully the next time they will hit paydirt.

[Rush Limbaugh]

Yeah I heard they said it looks like ice and they landed right on it but their not sure.

[CtrlAltDe1337]

I hope this turns out to be true. Mars is close enough that we could one day go there for raw materials or possibly colonize (in the waaaay distant future), so finding ice is a good sign.

[zznɟ ǝɥʇ]

Doesn't Mars have ice caps? How is this news? Astronomy hobbyists, please fill me in...

[Athkara]

I think the idea is that the ice caps are thought to just be frozen co2 - not water ice.

[Otsman]

i saw some images that were leaked by NASA and were supposedly taken by the mars rovers showing ruins, the clear remains of tunnel systems, the remains of cultivated land, and a WIERD looking skull, that was very human but had these huge bone structures soming out of the jaw

i'll try and find the vid

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fu...deoid=35693978

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlkV1...eature=related

[Marie Louise von Preussen]

Isn't that some kind of conspiracy theory? Skulls ?