Confirmed: Ice on Mars. News broken by Twitter.

In the releases I've read there was no real direct evidence only observation that ...

""It must be ice," said Phoenix Principal Investigator Peter Smith of the University of Arizona, Tucson. "These little clumps completely disappearing over the course of a few days, that is perfect evidence that it's ice. There had been some question whether the bright material was salt. Salt can't do that."" ~ http://phoenix.lpl.arizona.edu/06_19_pr.php

So the headlines are a bit premature until they release an explanation of the measurements they are taking.

And according to this (http://bhs.smuhsd.org/science-dept/marcan/apchemistry/h2opha...) phase diagram for water, sublimation occurs at pressure less than 0.006 atm and temperature less than 0.01 °C.

So while the pressure on Mars might be a little too high, it's pretty darn close. Wikipedia or that phase diagram could be wrong.

Also, I just came across this:

The atmospheric pressure on Mars is just a bit below the triple-point pressure. That's why the textbooks all say liquid water is unstable on the surface of Mars. Any liquid water will rapidly evaporate and the rest, cooled by evaporation, will freeze. Low spots on Mars may have pressures above the triple-point pressure, but are usually far too cold. Even if you did somehow get above 0 C on Mars and into the liquid field, you're so close to the vapor curve that water would rapidly evaporate. Even solid ice would quickly sublimate on Mars except in the very coldest areas.

http://www.uwgb.edu/dutchs/petrolgy/Ice%20Structure.HTM

Likewise, if a politician used their SNL guest spot to announce their intention to withdraw from the presidential race, you can bet most headlines on the topic would include the words "on SNL".

I'd say it's more likely it'd get big if celebrities were using it, or people on the big brother show or something, but news from mars lander? :/