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NASA confirms water on Mars

Aug 11, 2008

The space agency says that samples taken from Martian soil by the Phoenix lander do indeed contain water.

NASA announced Thursday that laboratory tests aboard the Phoenix Mars Lander have proven that water exists on Mars. No organic compounds have been identified. Plus, recent tests have shown the soil to contain a toxic chemical called percholorate which could bar the possibility of life in that area.

"We have water," said William Boynton of the University of Arizona, lead scientist for the Thermal and Evolved-Gas Analyzer. "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."

In addition, NASA has decided to extend the mission of the Phoenix until September 30. It had originally been scheduled to wrap up operations on the Red Planet in August. For more from the findings of Phoenix, read Stefanie Olsen's blog.

This image shows how NASA has plotted out the Martian surface which is being tested by the Phoenix.

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/Texas A&M University