Ice on Mars an important breakthrough

NASA scientists have announced that the Mars Phoenix Lander has discovered water ice just below the martian surface.
They have captured photographic evidence of dice-sized white material exposed during digging which four days later had begun to disappear.

"It must be ice," said Peter Smith, the Phoenix Lander's lead investigator. "These little clumps completely disappearing over the course of a few days, that is perfect evidence that it's ice." The news has huge implications. If there's life on Mars, or if there ever was, the best place to find evidence of it is in water. The lander may have also discovered an icy layer. It began digging a different trench when its robotic arm connected with a firm layer and after three attempts, found it could not dig any further.
Source:NASA Press Release