The Hindu : 'Stunning' evidence of ice beneath Mars surface

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, May 31, 2002

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International

'Stunning' evidence of ice beneath Mars surface

A huge sea of ice lies just under the surface of Mars, ready to be tapped by future explorers as a source of fuel and maybe even drinking water. It might also harbour life. — Reuters

LONDON MAY 30. Evidence of huge amounts of frozen water beneath the surface of Mars has been revealed, that, by one estimate, could deluge the planet to an average depth of between 500 and 1,000 metres if it were to melt.

The discovery by the Mars Odyssey spacecraft, described as "stunning'' by one expert, greatly increases the chances of finding alien life on the Red Planet, given the link between life and water.

And it solves an enduring puzzle of where the planet's water went, given the evidence of dried up lakes, ancient shorelines and vast, empty canyons.

NASA is expected to announce a commitment to land astronauts on Mars within 20 years in light of the findings.

News of ice lying at a shallow depth below the Martian surface was leaked over the weekend. Science, the journal publishing the data, lifted its embargo to allow the full story to be told. Dr Jim Bell from the Department of Astronomy at Cornell University, said the subsurface ice "may represent only the tip of an iceberg frozen under ground. The results, even after only a month of mapping observations, are stunning.'' —

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