Water ice in the Mars crater Explanation: What is there on the bottom of this Mars crater? The cavity, filled up with water ice. Automatic space vehicle Mars Express obtained this picture at the beginning of February. The ice was discovered in the crater with 35 km diameter, located at the latitude of 70 degrees to the north of the Mars equator. The craters bank, which is 300 m high, obstructs the sunlight and doesnt allow evaporating the water ice on the crater bottom to the rarefied Mars atmosphere. The thickness of ice layer can reach 200 meters. One can see hoar-frost at the internal edge of the crater in its upper-right part, while the lower left part is lighted up by the sun. Presence of water ice inside the craters by the mars northern pole, looking like the one shown here and discovered earlier, provides with important information about conditions, existing in the past on the Mars surface. Such craters might in future turn out to be suitable places for landing of astronauts. |