Scientists excitedly declared back in May 2008 that we discovered honest-to-goodness H2O ice on the red planet, Mars. Apparently, the Phoenix lander’s exhaust jets, visible at the top of the image, blew the Martian dust away to reveal what appears to be ice. Now, 31 July 2008, NASA reports that the Phoenix lander has discovered real water on Mars. The Phoenix mission has been extended because of this seminal discovery.
James Randerson discusses the proposed mission to Mars that looks to be one of the historic projects of the early 21st century. Scientists are boldly proposing that we can send a manned mission to Mars by 2023.
