The ice sheets are the ‘most dramatic’ evidence yet of climate change on the red planet, and could help us understand temperature shifts on Earth, the U.S. researchers say. They detected the sheets beneath a protective layer of rocky debris using a ground-penetrating radar on the NASA Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.The discovery reveals a previously untapped source of drinking water and rocket fuel, which promises to aid future manned missions to the planet. Scientists have previously detected ice on Mars but never in such large quantities away from the poles.
The glaciers were located the Hellas Basin region – an area spanning mid-latitudes in the Southern hemisphere, which is equivalent to the latitude of Australia on Earth. A similar band with even larger quantities of ice is thought to be awaiting discovery in the Northern hemisphere. (Source: Daily Mail)
