We have water," said William Boynton of the University of Arizona, lead scientist for the Thermal and Evolved-Gas Analyzer.
"We've seen evidence for this water ice before in observations by the Mars Odyssey orbiter and in disappearing chunks observed by Phoenix last month, but this is the first time Martian water has been touched and tasted," he added.
Image: This panorama mosaic, taken by the Surface Stereo Imager on board NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander, documents the passage of the midnight sun over several days.
Photograph: Courtesy NASA
Also see: NASA chief on India's moon mission