Phoenix Mars Lander discovers ice
In case you missed it, the newsflash of the day is the Phoenix Mars Lander’s discovery of ice. 
This is not just any old ice. It’s what NASA calls water ice that contains minerals. Are you as confused as I on this one? Water ice?
Now, for the average onlooker, this may seem even more ridiculous than it is redundant. After all, this is a $300 million, 90-day Mars mission.
The project’s designers, though, say this is a major discovery that validates the project and the budget.
So I guess congratulations are in order for a tiny space craft that’s traveled billions of miles so the folks at NASA can drink their vodka on the rocks.
Tags: Mars Lander, NASA, Phoenix
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June 26, 2008 at 4:56 pm
Although the primary definition of ice refers to frozen water, the word can also be used to refer to materials which resemble frozen water. For example, frozen CO2 is often called “dry ice,” and there are other examples. Since the Martian atmosphere is primarily made of CO2, the distinction between water ice and dry ice is actually quite important.
June 26, 2008 at 7:13 pm
Although I did know about dry ice, I never understood this distinction. Thanks for the clarification.