... Tonight's Sky . ... Mars . ... Observing . ... Astronomy for Kids . ... Phoenix's next soil sample . ... The latest activities of NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander have moved the mission closer to analyzing a sample of material, possibly icy soil, from a hard layer at the bottom of a shallow trench beside the lander. ... Only registered members of Astronomy.com are allowed to comment on this article. ... Receive news, sky-event information, observing tips, and more from Astronomy's weekly email newsletter....