Unusual Plates on Mars . ... Mars Express , DLR , ESA Explanation: What are those unusual plates on Mars? A leading current interpretation holds that they are blocks of ice floating on a recently frozen sea covered by dust. The unusual plates were photographed recently by the European Space Agency 's Mars Express spacecraft currently orbiting Mars . Oddly, the region lies near the Martian equator and not near either of Mars' frozen polar caps . ... NASA Official: Jay Norris. ...