MARS ODYSSEY SPACECRAFT IMAGE OF MARS SOUTH POLE, 2002-03-01 (photo)

View of the south pole of Mars from measurements made during the first week of Mars Odyssey Spacecraft mapping, in February, 2002. The Mars Odyssey spacecraft has identified what appear to be large areas of ice on the red planet's surface, U.S. space scientists said on March 1, 2002, a discovery that could prove key to the search for life there. Odyssey, which began mapping the Martian surface last week, used a suite of gamma ray spectrometer instruments to detect significant amounts of hydrogen near the planet's south pole, which scientists said are most likely due to the presence of ice formed from water. Soil enriched in hydrogen is indicated by the deep blue colors on the map, where a low intensity of epithermal neutrons is found. REUTERS/NASA/Handout SV