Big new reservoir of water ice suspected under Mars

ToSeek · #1 (**permalink**) 16-March-2006, 05:31 PM

Quote:

A large and previously unknown reservoir of water ice may have been found below the surface of Mars, new radar observations suggest.

Gaping canyons and river-like channels attest to the fact that large amounts of water once flowed on Mars. But today most of that water has disappeared, and finding out where it went is one of the main aims of research on the Red Planet.

Scientists are using the radar antenna onboard Europe's Mars Express spacecraft as a divining rod to scout for any water that may have seeped underground.

MARSIS (Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding) works by sending out pulses of radio waves from its main, 40-metre-long antenna and analysing the time delay and strength of the signals that bounce back. Radio waves that penetrate the surface rebound when they encounter a subsurface boundary between materials with different electrical properties – such as rock and water.

The antenna was deployed in June 2005 and quickly detected what appeared to be water ice stretching 1.8 kilometres below the surface of the northern polar ice cap. Now, it has found what looks like water ice extending as deep as 3.5 kilometres below the southern polar cap.

Blob · #2 (**permalink**) 16-March-2006, 08:52 PM

Hum,
strangely...

Less than 1 percent of the planet’s surface bears signs of hydrated minerals according to Jean-Pierre Bibring, the lead investigator for the Mars Express Omega instrument.

Read more

Fr. Wayne · #3 (**permalink**) 17-March-2006, 01:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blob

Hum,
strangely...

Less than 1 percent of the planet’s surface bears signs of hydrated minerals according to Jean-Pierre Bibring, the lead investigator for the Mars Express Omega instrument.

Read more

But he insists that below the surface crust which he states was caused by a global disaster, the evidence for clays and sulfides is very probable. After seeing a few of the huge dust storms on Mars, I quiver at the thought that the marvelous legends of the canals of Mars may yet pass through BAUT again.

Launch window · #4 (**permalink**) 18-March-2006, 06:46 PM

thanks for the update, good article there !

Damburger · #5 (**permalink**) 19-March-2006, 03:45 PM

I was under the impression the polar ice of Mars was partly composed of water ice, so this isn't that shocking news in that case?

Fr. Wayne · #6 (**permalink**) 19-March-2006, 06:49 PM

It's wonderful how quickly everybody comes on board when real data arrives. Water on Mars back in 1972 would have changed the NASA program completely.

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