Mars lander sees falling snow

September 30, 2008

NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander has detected snow falling from Martian clouds. NASA scientists said the snow was vaporizing before reaching the planet's surface. The 90-day Phoenix Rover mission, which began in May, was extended for a further five weeks after water was identified in a soil sample on the rocky Red Planet. Scientists sifting through the data collected by the solar-powered explorer are hoping to answer the key question of whether life on Mars once existed.