Phoenix

Phoenix landed in the Martian arctic plains and was the first mission to directly touch and analyze Martian water ice. Using its robotic arm to dig trenches, it exposed bright white ice just a few centimeters below the surface, which visibly sublimated over several days. Its wet chemistry lab found the soil is slightly alkaline and contains perchlorates — a finding with major implications for habitability and future human exploration. Its LIDAR detected snow falling from Martian clouds, the first observation of precipitation on Mars.