Did NASA’s Phoenix Mars lander find evidence of liquid water before it froze to death?
Some scientists think so. In a provocative new paper, 22 members of the mission argue that droplets seen on Phoenix’s leg were from liquid water that splashed during landing. Scientists propose that the perchlorate salts near the landing site acted as an antifreeze by lowering the freezing point of ice, causing it to melt into a salty liquid. When Phoenix landed in the arctic plains, some of that liquid splashed onto its leg, they said.
