spacetoday.net: Mars Express confirms presence of water ice at Martian south pole

Posted: Fri, Jan 23, 2004, 12:50 PM ET (1750 GMT)
Mars Express in orbit (ESA illustration)

ESA released Friday the first scientific results from its Mars Express spacecraft, confirming the presence of water ice in the south polar regions of the planet. Scientists said that images from OMEGA, a combination camera and infrared spectrometer on the spacecraft, revealed the presence of both water and carbon dioxide ice in the planet's south polar cap. Scientists had suggested that the southern cap, like its counterpart at the north pole, contained some amount of water ice, but until now had no data to confirm its presence. A separate instrument on Mars Express, a high-resolution spectrometer, also detected water ice there. Scientists also revealed new images from the spacecraft's spectroscopic camera, as well as assorted other data, during a press briefing.