Most of the material in the sample collected on July 30, had been exposed to the air for two days, letting some of the water in the sample vaporize away and making the soil easier to handle.
According to Phoenix principal investigator Peter Smith of the University of Arizona, "Mars is giving us some surprises. We're excited because surprises are where discoveries come from."
Image: Mission Control team members Ed Sedivy (Left) and Doug McCuiston hug as the first images from NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander arrive after touchdown on May 25, 2008.
Photograph: Mark Terrill-Pool via Getty Images
Also see: Glimpses of a rare celestial event
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