inputs: hypothesis: A robotic arm has been used for scientific discoveries. premise: This tells us we've got water ice within reach of the arm, which means we can continue this investigation with the tools we brought with us, said  primary investigator for Phoenix's stereo imager, Mark Lemmon. Scientists are planning to examine the substance and the soil surrounding it more closely. They plan to test it for signs of organic material and  minerals, and hope to find out if the ice was ever a liquid which could have supported microbial life.