Radar evidence of subglacial liquid water on Mars

• Published in: Science
• Main Authors: Orosei, R., Lauro, S. E., Pettinelli, E., Cicchetti, A., Coradini, M., Cosciotti, B., Di Paolo, F., Flamini, E., Mattei, E., Pajola, M., Soldovieri, F., Cartacci, M., Cassenti, F., Frigeri, A., Giuppi, S., Martufi, R., Masdea, A., Mitri, G., Nenna, C., Noschese, R., Restano, M., Seu, R.
• Other Authors: Agenzia Spaziale Italiana
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) 2018
• Subjects: Ice cap
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.aar7268; https://www.science.org/doi/pdf/10.1126/science.aar7268

Liquid water under Mars' southern ice cap Mars is known to host large quantities of water in solid or gaseous form, and surface rocks show clear evidence that there was liquid water on the planet in the distant past. Whether any liquid water remains on Mars today has long been debated. Orosei et al. used radar measurements from the Mars Express spacecraft to search for liquid water in Mars' southern ice cap (see the Perspective by Diez). They detected a 20-km-wide lake of liquid water underneath solid ice in the Planum Australe region. The water is probably kept from freezing by dissolved salts and the pressure of the ice above. The presence of liquid water on Mars has implications for astrobiology and future human exploration. Science , this issue p. 490 see also p. 448