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[JoeSmith]

Same here OM, the little critter just found water up there.

Alkaline Soil Sample From Mars Reveals Presence of Nutrients for Plants to Grow


By KENNETH CHANG
Published: June 27, 2008

Stick an asparagus plant in a pot full of Martian soil, and the asparagus might grow happily, scientists announced Thursday.

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NASA

The Phoenix lander’s scoop gathers samples of the Martian soil for analysis. The image was enhanced to brighten the scene.
Related
TierneyLab: Who Cares if There's Ice on Mars? (June 26, 2008)

An experiment on the Phoenix Mars lander showed the dirt on the planet’s northern arctic plains to be alkaline, though not strongly alkaline, and full of the mineral nutrients that a plant would need.

“We basically have found what appears to be the requirements, the nutrients, to support life whether past, present or future,” said Samuel P. Kounaves of Tufts University, who is leading the chemical analysis, during a telephone news conference on Thursday. “The sort of soil you have there is the type of soil you’d probably have in your backyard.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/27/science/space/27MARS.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

http://www.mercurynews.com/ci_9709042?source=rss
Mars Phoenix lander finds soil similar to that in backyards on Earth
By Alicia Chang
Associated Press
Article Launched: 06/26/2008 02:43:31 PM PDT

The Phoenix lander's first taste test of soil near Mars' north pole reveals a briny environment similar to what can be found in backyards on Earth, scientists said today in Los Angeles.

The finding raises hope that the Martian arctic plains could have conditions favorable for primitive life. Phoenix landed a month ago to study the habitability of Mars' northern latitudes.

"There's nothing about it that would preclude life. In fact, it seems very friendly," mission scientist Samuel Kounaves of Tufts University said of the soil. "There's nothing about it that's toxic."

Phoenix so far has not detected organic carbon considered an essential building block of life. Last week, the lander found evidence of ice below the soil. Scientists generally agree that liquid water, a stable energy source and organic, or carbon-containing, compounds are required for a habitable zone.

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