Phoenix continues examination of soil sample.

Space.com (8/1, Thompson) reported, "NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander may have found water ice on the red planet, but it still has a lot of work left to do." While the confirmation of ice observations is a "key" goal of Phoenix, now its Thermal and Evolved-Gas Analyzer (TEGA) is determining whether the water was ever in liquid form, according to Phoenix robotic arm co-investigator Ray Arvidson. As the oven heats the sample, it will look for "hydrated minerals," such as sulfates and clays, as well as organics. According to mission scientist William Boynton, even if "it does detect organics...scientists will be cautious. ... They would assume first that any organics could be contamination brought with the spacecraft from Earth."

        White House alerted about upcoming announcement. Aviation Week (8/1, Covault) reported, "The White House has been alerted by NASA about plans to make an announcement soon on major new Phoenix lander discoveries concerning the 'potential for life' on Mars," which are "much more complex than results related NASA's July 31 announcement that Phoenix has confirmed the presence of water ice." According to the article, this announcement would not indicate whether life existed now or in the past, but on the habitability. Unnamed sources said that "the Jet Propulsion Laboratory science team for the MECA wet-chemistry instrument...was kept out of a July 31 news conference" in order "to prevent them from being asked any questions that could reveal information before NASA is ready." The article also states that it "is intriguing that MECA could have found anything more positive" than the "Earth-like" soil previously announced in the first MECA test, "but NASA and the University of Arizona are taking steps to prevent word from leaking out on the nature of the discovery made during MECA's second soil test, in which water from Earth was automatically stirred with Martian soil." The Tech Herald (8/3, Bowden) also covered the story.