What's a NASA mission without a few hitches here and there? First there was the bioshield that peeked over its intended rest area; then there was a short circuit in a spectroscopic oven. Phoenix's handlers dispatched the first issue with ease and are confident they can work around the second. But compared to the returns of the mission so far, the glitches melt away, for Phoenix may already have discovered what it was intended to find, and its excavation arm hasn't even been fully used.
A day or so ago, the camera at the end of the lander's arm peered underneath the Phoenix and found what could be patches of ice -- or stone. But the latest image -- above -- seems to confirm that they are indeed ice, uncovered by the spaceship's thrusters as it made landfall. The diagnosis is not yet certain, but the odds are high that the probe's quest frozen water has already succeeded.
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