Phoenix Lander Confirms Water On Mars

The Phoenix Lander spacecraft confirmed the presence of water with its onboard instruments after testing the material it scooped previously.

The NASA Scientists and others knew there was water in Mars but didn’t have any confirming evidence except for pictures of icy like material on the Martian surface. NASA scientists have final proof from the Phoenix Lander. The Phoenix Lander scooped some brown and white material from the surrounding area, where it landed successfully last May 25th. The arm dropped the material into special ovens on-board the spacecraft. William Boynton of the University of Arizona, lead scientist for the Thermal and Evolved-Gas Analyzer, or TEGA told the Press:

"We have water...We've seen evidence for this water ice before in observations by the Mars Odyssey orbiter and in disappearing chunks observed by Phoenix last month, but this is the first time Martian water has been touched and tasted."

The chemical testing confirmed the presence of ice near the Martian north polar region. The Lander will be on a three month digging mission, it will explore more areas and scoop more material and analyze them further. NASA also announced it will extend the mission by another two months.