Officially ice

Oven bakes out water; mission successes lead to longer lander life

The Phoenix Mars Lander has finally “tasted” and “touched” water ice, mission scientists reported. This result, along with other mission successes, has sparked NASA officials to extend the life of the lander, which touched down on the Red Planet May 25. The scientists will have an extra 34 days to learn about the soil and atmosphere of Mars’ polar region.