Jan 18 2004
From The Space Library
ESA reported that Mars Express had discovered the first direct evidence of water on Mars. Whereas some previous research had suggested that water might be present on Mars, Mars Express had detected the presence of actual water ice covered by a layer of frozen carbon dioxide at the planet's south pole. The spacecraft had also found that the amount of carbon dioxide in Mars's atmosphere was inadequate to have warmed the planet sufficiently for the formation of liquid water and the support of life on the planet's surface. Scientists regarded the findings as crucial in determining whether Mars could have supported life in the past. (ESA, “Mars Express Sees Its First Water ~ Scientific Results,” ESA news release 6-2004, 23 January 2004; Jean-Pierre Bibring, “Perennial Water Ice Identified in the South Polar Cap of Mars,” Nature 428, no. 6983 (8 April 2004): 627-630.
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