NASA's Phoenix spacecraft has discovered evidence of past water at its Martian landing site and spotted falling snow for the first time.

The Robotic Arm on NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander carries a scoop of Martian soil bound for the spacecraft's microscope in handout photo released on June 13, 2008. [NASA/Reuters]

According to NASA scientists, soil experiments revealed the presence of two minerals known to be formed in liquid water. The minerals are identified as calcium carbonate, found in limestone and chalk, and sheet silicate. But exactly how that happened remains a mystery.

A laser aboard the Phoenix recently detected snow falling from clouds more than two miles above its home in the northern arctic plains.

The snow disappeared before reaching the ground. Scientists said that the significant amount of science data collected by the Phoenix mission will last the science research community for a significant number of years to come.

(CCTV October 1, 2008)