Produced by: Manoj Kumar
Radar scans reveal up to 2.2 miles of subsurface ice beneath Mars’s Medusae Fossae, per Geophysical Research Letters.
If melted, the deposit could cover Mars in 5 to 9 feet of water—matching Earth’s Red Sea in volume.
ESA’s Mars Express radar showed signals similar to polar ice caps, surprising researchers who expected only dry dust.
The formation was long thought to be loose ash or dust—but its low density and radar reflections demand one answer: ice.
Ice near Mars’s equator, unlike polar stores, could support future human missions and colonization efforts.
This stash could power in-situ water extraction and fuel production, vital for long-term exploration or terraforming.
Buried under ash, the ancient ice might preserve evidence of Mars’s wetter past—and possibly signs of ancient life.
Credit : ESA
ESA’s Colin Wilson calls it a strategic find for future missions, though it’s still beyond reach for now.
Why equatorial ice? This stash could reshape theories on Mars’s ancient atmosphere and shifting water
Credit : ESA