Water Ice Imaged in Martian Polar Cap
Explanation:
Does water exist today on Mars?
Yes, although the only place on
Mars
known to have
water is the
North Polar Cap, and that
water is frozen.
Views of this potentially life-enabling water-ice are usually
obscured -- in the winter
by darkness and in the summer by
clouds.
Last April, however, the orbiting
Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft
was able to get a good glimpse of the
water-bearing cap
just before Martian spring.
Low, dark layers in the
above image are thought to contain a large amount of
sand,
while high, light layers likely contain higher amounts of water-
ice.
The image spans an area about 5 kilometers across.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
