SAVE MONEY ON TRAVEL DEALS

Professor Mark Lemmon of Texas A&M University has been involved with Mars missions for years and he says NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander -- which touched down in May 2008 -- keeps revealing secrets about the planet.

"Phoenix landed in a place that has access to Martian ice, which is exciting by itself", Lemmon said. "Phoenix was designed to verify and investigate subsurface ice, and it found it almost instantly. The entire area where it landed has water ice just a few inches under the soil. The area is cold now, but it has been warmer in the past."

Lemmon said the soil analyzed by the NASA lander has a potential energy source and oxygen source for life on Mars, noting traces of calcite were also found, which shows a presence of liquid water at some time in the past.

Phoenix also found weather patterns similar to those on Earth, even including small snowflakes, which leads scientists to believe snowfall on Mars was once a common occurrence.

"To sum it up, we found a place on Mars that is similar to cold, dry environments on Earth, and those environments are capable of supporting life", Lemmon said.

The research is reported in Science magazine.

 BREAKING STORIES

Songbirds may help solve speech disorders

U.N. group votes down tuna export ban

Raw sewage spills at Denver airport

Protected forests may slow climate change

NASA prepares to study arctic glaciers

New variety of lentil is developed

Wild turkey crashes through window

4-million-year-old killing is studied

Poisoned eggs may protect Cape Cod plovers

How healthcare reform affects consumers

Fossil of rare armor-plated worm found

Leeches studied for reproductive behaviors

Copiers treasure trove for data thieves

Cloves: The natural food anti-oxidant

Shocked skier crashes into elk

Wild mountain lion captured in New Mexico

Doctors want 10 new antibiotics by 2020

Sun-Earth day to be marked by NASA webcast

Scientist urges better cancer cell tests

U.S. reports big drop in baggage claims