Mars lander may have found ice at polygon's edge
The Phoenix lander has uncovered a patch of what may be ice on the border of a polygon-shaped section of soil in Mars's northern plains.
The lander's robotic arm uncovered the white substance after further excavating sites called Dodo and Baby Bear to create one large trench. The patch sits at the edge of a polygon, a geological formation created by the seasonal expansion and shrinkage of ice in the Martian soil.
It is too early to say whether the bright area is made of ice or salt. But over the coming days, the lander's cameras will periodically snap pictures of the area to see if the exposed layer changes.
