Odyssey’s Homer: Hints of water near both poles of Mars
By Sid Perkins
Sensors on board the Mars Odyssey spacecraft have spied strong signs of ice buried near both poles of the Red Planet, exactly the regions where scientists previously had said that frozen water deposits could exist.
If confirmed, the large permafrost-like reservoirs could contain a large part of Mars’ suspected water resources. Finding substantial amounts of readily accessible water would be the space-faring equivalent of a grand slam home run because the water could be used by people during future Mars explorations. The water also raises scientists’ hopes of finding life on Mars.