--- title: Scientists Discover Massive Ice Sheets on Mars description: Massive ice sheets have been discovered on Mars that could potentially be a resource for astronauts to harness for further exploration. canonical: https://time.com/5100356/mars-water-ice-sheets/ author: Casey Quackenbush article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2018-01-12T08:03:59.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T18:51:29.797Z article:section: Science og:title: Scientists Discover Massive Ice Sheets on Mars og:description: The water they contain could be a useful resource for future astronauts. og:url: https://time.com/5100356/mars-water-ice-sheets/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5164a9b0bfbb5e31/6988f8094ee262019f31078f/gettyimages-490442618.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Planet Mars Shows Signs Of Liquid Water og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Scientists Discover Massive Ice Sheets on Mars twitter:description: The water they contain could be a useful resource for future astronauts. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5164a9b0bfbb5e31/6988f8094ee262019f31078f/gettyimages-490442618.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Scientists Have Discovered Massive Ice Sheets on Mars ## Video: How Much Does a Mission to Mars Cost? MONEY [Watch (HLS stream): How Much Does a Mission to Mars Cost? MONEY](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/Xb0ek9KI.m3u8) (1:37)  _Published 2017-05-22. As NASA prepares a giant leap onto Martian soil in the 2030s, mankind’s journey to the red planet may turn out to be more than just a work of fiction - and it comes with a VERY high price tag._ by [Casey Quackenbush](https://time.com/author/casey-quackenbush/) ## Casey Quackenbush Jan 12, 2018 8:03 AM UTC  In this handout provided by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, dark, narrow streaks on the slopes of Hale Crater, are inferred to be formed by seasonal flow of water on surface of present-day Mars, reported on September 28, 2015. In this handout provided by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, dark, narrow streaks on the slopes of Hale Crater, are inferred to be formed by seasonal flow of water on surface of present-day Mars, reported on September 28, 2015.NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona—Getty Images by [Casey Quackenbush](https://time.com/author/casey-quackenbush/) ## Casey Quackenbush Jan 12, 2018 8:03 AM UTC Massive ice sheets [have been discovered ](http://science.sciencemag.org/content/359/6372/199)on Mars that could potentially be a resource for astronauts to harness for exploration of the planet. According to a [report](http://science.sciencemag.org/content/359/6372/199) published on Friday in the journal _Science_, scientists examined eight areas on Mars where erosion has occurred. Researchers discovered massive ice sheets in the planet’s mid-latitudes that are believed to extend up to 100 meters deep and contain distinguishable layers that, “could preserve a record of Mars’ past climate,” the report says. “They might even be a useful source of water for future human exploration of the red planet.” In 2005, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) was launched to explore Mars. A few years ago, the $720 million spacecraft returned images and data that showed a pale sliver of blue amid the terracotta-colored dust. These images helped Colin Dundas, a geologist at the U.S. Geological Survey, and team discover eight steep cliffs of what appears to be almost pure ice. “This kind of ice is more widespread than previously thought,” Colin Dundas, a geologist at the U.S. Geological Survey, [told](http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/01/ice-cliffs-spotted-mars) _Science_. This is not the first time ice has been found on Mars. Ice covers its poles, and the MRO has [detected](http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/01/ice-cliffs-spotted-mars) “signatures of thick, buried ice across the planet’s belly,” according to _Science_. Millions of years ago, Mars span on a different axis and in a different orbit, so some scientists say these signatures may be remnants of glaciers from then. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5100356/mars-water-ice-sheets/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5100356/mars-water-ice-sheets/"},"headline":"Scientists Have Discovered Massive Ice Sheets on Mars","datePublished":"2018-01-12T08:03:59.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T18:51:29.797Z","description":"The water they contain could be a useful resource for future astronauts","url":"https://time.com/5100356/mars-water-ice-sheets/","keywords":["Space Exploration","Space","Mars","planets","Discovery","space travel","onetime","Science","overnight"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5164a9b0bfbb5e31/6988f8094ee262019f31078f/gettyimages-490442618.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Casey Quackenbush","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/casey-quackenbush/"}],"articleSection":"Science","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5164a9b0bfbb5e31/6988f8094ee262019f31078f/gettyimages-490442618.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Planet Mars Shows Signs Of Liquid Water","caption":"Planet Mars Shows Signs Of Liquid Water","creditText":"NASA/JPL-Caltech/Univ. of Arizona—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/science/","name":"Science"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/space-exploration/","name":"Space Exploration"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5100356/mars-water-ice-sheets/","name":"Scientists Have Discovered Massive Ice Sheets on Mars"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"How Much Does a Mission to Mars Cost? 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