How salty was the soil the Mars lander found in comparison to soil on Earth?
The probe scooped out a trench near Mars’ north pole while taking samples, and several shiny lumps were exposed. Pictures of the trench and lumps were taken and sent back to Earth. Hours later, the trench was photographed again, and the shiny lumps were missing. The most reasonable conclusion from this is that the lumps were water ice, and after they were exposed to sunlight, they melted/evaporated/sublimated and disappeared. Scientists have named the digging area Wonderland. The northern polar area has shown signs of water from orbiting probes. Depending on how much ice is still on Mars, that could mean future astronauts have a supply of water and fuel waiting for them, making the journey less costly and more safe. It is unlikely that life as we know it exists in or near the ice, since water only exists as ice or vapor on Mars. But this ice discovery does increase the chances that life once existed on Mars, perhaps in oceans like on Earth. Mars is not habitable for life as we know it.
