Europe's orbiter confirms the presence of water on Mars
Initial results from the scientific instruments on board Europe's Mars Express orbiter have, for the first time ever, directly recorded the presence of water in its frozen form on the surface of the Red Planet. The water ice on the southern polar cap was measured using the OMEGA instrument, a combined camera and infrared spectrometer, and confirmed by a second, higher resolution spectrometer. Prior to 23 January, when the data was collected, the presence of water near the surface of Mars had only been indirectly indicated. 'I think you just saw a Eureka moment,' said Professor David Southwood, director of science at the European Space Agency, after the findings were presented. 'I did not expect to be able to gather together, just one month after the Mars orbit insertion of 25 December, so many scientists eager to present their first results.' Professor Southwood said that the results were unexpected, given that it was summertime in the southern hemisphere of Mars. He added that it is currently too early to say whether the ice means that the pole is colder than they had thought, or whether there is simply more water than had been predicted. Another instrument, ASPERA, gave scientists a new insight into the effects of the solar wind on the planet's atmosphere. It showed oxygen ions, probably originating from atmospheric water vapour, being blown out of the atmosphere by the solar wind's charged particles. ESA scientists also presented some stunning images captured by Mars Express' high resolution stereo camera (HRSC). The complete image represents the mapping of some 1.87 million square kilometres of Martian surface, which has revealed channels and pits similar to those eroded by water on Earth. 'I think we can say 'yes, there was water acting on the surface of Mars',' said Gerhard Neukum, responsible for HRSC. German Minister for research and education, and current chair of the ESA ministerial council, Edelgard Bulmahn, said: 'Europe can be proud of this mission: Mars Express is an enormous success for the European space programme.' Meanwhile, NASA scientists in the US were given a welcome boost on 25 January when they successfully landed their second rover, Opportunity, on the Martian surface. This followed the news that a fault in the memory of NASA's other rover, Spirit, will require at least three weeks of testing and repair before it can continue its mission. From initial images sent back to Earth just hours after Opportunity touched down, scientists say that the lander is inside a shallow crater with the darkest soil yet seen on Mars. Of particular interest is an outcrop of bedrock near the rover, which the NASA team intend to investigate before moving to a bigger, neighbouring crater under a kilometre from its current position.