Ice on Mars is a pretty big deal… If the Phoenix was able to scrap just this much soil and hit water ice, then it is most likely prevalent just below the surface of Mars.  The implications are numerous.

1. Life on Mars was almost guaranteed in the past if this ice was originally liquid water.  Microbial life probably lives on within the soil.
   
2. Water Ice becomes a means of fuel (the “H” in H2O) and a source of Oxygen (The “O” in H2O) by breaking it down.
   
3. Plants can be cultivated in labs on the surface and have a water source to survive.  Those plants can then be genetically modified (to survive the cold, etc) to provide a method of terraforming Mars into a planet someday being able to support human life.  (Remember the movie “Total Recall”?)

I am not a War opposer, I support it overall, but I do wish the government would drop as much money as they are putting into the war into space exploration.  Imagine what could be accomplished.