The sublimation of ice in the trench

The release of the pictures taken four sols (Martian days) apart, confirms the speculation that the white shiny substance uncovered by the Phoenix Lander was indeed water ice.

"It is with great pride and a lot of joy that I announce today that we have found proof that this hard bright material is really water ice and not some other substance," said Phoenix Principal Investigator Peter Smith of the University of Arizona.

The picture shows a decrease in the amount of the substance present in the trench. The material had changed state from solid to gas, a process known as subliming.

The material could not have been carbon-dioxide ice because it would not be stable for even one day at the prevailing temperature and pressure.

Mars Phoenix Lander

Said Mark Lemmon, lead scientist for Phoenix's Surface Stereo Imager camera, "This tells us we've got water ice within reach of the arm, which means we can continue this investigation with the tools we brought with us."

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

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