The hopes of NASA’s scientists of finding life on Mars significantly shrunk after the Phoenix Mars Lander sent back to base some soil samples containing a toxic chemical called perchlorate.

The chemical is usually used in the making of explosives, medicines and solid rocket fuels and the issue now is to make sure that it is indeed part of the Martian soil and it did not end up by mistake after a soil sample contamination. According to NASA, aside from the scenario with the chemical as a natural compound of the Martian soil, there is only the possibility of a contamination before the Lander’s launch, as it used a different kind of fuel, called hydrazine, to land on the red planet.

On Earth, perchlorate is freely found in soil and groundwater.

There are several other tests scheduled over the next few days in order for the scientists to be 100 percent sure about the soil’s components.

Mr. Peter Smith, the University of Arizona scientist who is in charge of the Phoenix mission, explained that even though the presence of perchlorate as one of the soil’s compounds leads them to believe that the planet’s soil is very similar to the one found on Earth, there are several conclusions reached by their tests that point out a very different soil chemistry.

"We are committed to following a rigorous scientific process. While we have not completed our process on these soil samples, we have very interesting intermediate results," said Mr. Peter Smith.

The two samples were analyzed by the Lander’s Wet Chemistry Lab, which is part of the spacecraft’s MECA (Microscopy, Electrochemistry and Conductivity Analyzer) instrument. The Analyzer is able to identify the acidity and presence of certain chemicals, in addition to singling out salts and minerals. The tests were prepared in order to provide a much more detailed analysis, after NASA used its TEGA (Thermal and Evolved Gas Analyzer) device, which did not offer the needed results.

So far, with a series of small delays and problems, the mission’s objectives have been reached and since the start of the mission in May when the Lander touched the Martian land, many tests were carried out. One of the most important steps was finding an ice water sample and placing it with the help of the Lander’s robotic arm into the analyzing ovens.

Geologist John Mustard from Brown University, who is not involved in the mission, was quoted by the Associated Press saying that the chemical "is a reactive compound. It's not usually considered an ingredient for life."

Even though the tests might present a rather disappointing conclusion, the scientists still hope to find traces of organic compounds or proof that life once existed on Mars.

NASA recently decided on extending Phoenix’s mission by another five weeks, turning it into a 17-month project, which is scheduled to end at the end of September. The mission is being conducted by NASA in partnership with universities from Germany, the United States, Canada, Switzerland, the Canadian Space Agency and other aerospace companies and institutes.