NASA has apparently found a toxic contaminant in Martian soil, perchlorate, a highly oxidizing substance which is detrimental to life. However, the Agency is unsure about what kind it is, and whether it might be the result of contamination from Phoenix lander's rockets.

NASA was forced to call an early press conference due to rampant speculation about secret reports to the President, life on Mars, and so forth. Researchers involved in the Phoenix project have said that it is too early to say what is making up the soil on Mars, but there are several possibilities, of which the most likely is that it contains perchlorate, which makes most organic life nearly impossible to exist.

The problem is that the two soil analysis tools on Phoenix, the MECA instrument, which runs wet chemistry experiments, and the the TEGA instrument, which performs mass spectrometry of samples, have provided somewhat contradictory results.

Thus, in the following days, NASA will properly analyze all possibilities and conduct further tests to determine what kind of perchlorate, if any, can be found in the soil and which life forms could develop on Mars.

Michael Meyer, chief scientist for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Mars Exploration Program, previously announced that the mission had been extended to Sept. 30, five weeks beyond the original three-month primary mission. This is about the maximum life span of the craft, which cannot survive the harsh Mars winter.

Phoenix is the sixth successful landing on Mars, out of twelve total international attempts, and was built by Lockheed Martin with additions from several partners. Most notably, the Canadian Space Agency provided a high-tech meteorological station, including an innovative Laser-based atmospheric sensor; and Alliance Spacesystems, LLC built the robotic arm. Phoenix was launched on August 4 last year.