Pasadena (California), September 23: Mars is like a giant ice-lollipop packed with vast quantities of frozen water — and it might even possess more water than earth, according to U.S. scientists.
Viking project scientists here said the martian north polar cap had been found to contain huge amounts of water ice and the rest of the red planet’s rocky surface might be a thin blanket over an enormous ice sheet.
The announcement of the Viking space probe findings ended a long-standing dispute over whether martian polar caps might be composed of frozen carbon dioxide instead of water ice.
The experts made it clear at a press conference there was more water on mars than they ever expected.
“Mars can perhaps be described as an iceberg floating in a sea of rock and the north pole is the top,” said Dr. Barney Famer, head of the Viking Water Vapour Mapping Team.
Dr. William McElroy, an atmospheric scientist, said it was possible there was more water in various forms on mars than on earth, ‘”Everywhere you look on mars you see water,” he said.
“There was a time when we thought there was no water on mars,” Viking project scientist Gerald Soffen told reporters. “Now we find there are massive amounts of water frozen in the north polar cap.”
The discovery was made when the orbiting vehicle which carried the Viking landing craft to mars made low, temperature reading passes over the north pole.
Published – September 24, 2026 05:30 am IST
