After finding ice in the Martian soil, the Phoenix Mars lander will try to sniff the Red Planet for signs of life. More precisely, it will continue to analyze soil samples for traces of organic carbon-based compounds.

The discovery of ice on Mars sent champagne corks popping down on Earth. After a string of glitches and failures, a definite breakthrough in understanding the planet has been made and scientists are eager to know more. While Martians are not green people, they might exist or have existed in the form of primitive life such as bacteria. However, no organic molecules have been detected so far.

As a result of the developments, Michael Meyer, chief scientist for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Mars Exploration Program, 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.

During the rest of the Lander's mission, it will use its robotic arm to analyze samples from more places within its reach.

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.