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.
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."
Scientists at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California concluded that the material was frozen water that evaporated when exposed to the sun. Salt would not have reacted that way, scientists said.
"We found what we were looking for," Phoenix science team member Mark Lemmon said in a news conference. "We came to this site because we were expected to find water ice."
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