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This image shows the southern polar ice cap on Mars. White areas are ice that exists throughout the year. The ice includes a large deposit of water ice topped by a thinner layer of dry ice (frozen carbon dioxide). The southern ice cap is about 420 km (260 miles) across from left to right in this image. This image, captured by the Mars Global Surveyor orbiter in April 2000, shows the South Pole during the Martian summer season. In the winter, the entire area shown in this image would be covered with dry ice. Click on image for full size version (59K JPEG) Image courtesy of NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems.

The Martian South Pole was first imaged by Mariner 7. The south polar region is part of the highlands of Mars, consisting of old, cratered terrain, and other interesting geologic features. The Mariner image shows the polar caps and a mosaic of some of these features, including: dunefields, the polar ice cap, layered terrain, places where water apparently once flowed, and the proposed landing site for the Mars '98 mission.

Martian global dust storms, an important feature of the Martian atmosphere, always seem to start in the south polar region. The region is important for understanding the overall climate and weather patterns of Mars and which is why the Mars '98 mission was supposed to explore this region.

This is a picture of the ice cap at the South Pole on Mars. This picture was shot from Mars orbit in 2000 by a spacecraft called Mars Global Surveyor. The white regions are ice. Most of the ice is water ice, but there is also a thinner layer of dry ice (frozen carbon dioxide) on top of the water ice. The ice cap is about 420 km (260 miles) across. It was summer in the southern part of Mars when this picture was taken. In the winter, the area shown in this picture is completely covered by dry ice. Click on image for full size version (59K JPEG) Image courtesy of NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems.

The Mariner 7 spacecraft took the first pictures of the South Pole of Mars. The south polar region is part of the highlands of Mars. The southern highlands of Mars are mostly old, cratered terrain and other interesting geologic features. Some of the features of the south pole are: dunefields, the polar ice cap, layered terrain, places where water may have flowed in the past, and the intended landing site for the Mars '98 mission.

Martian global dust storms, an important feature of the Martian atmosphere, always seem to start in the south polar region. The region is important for understanding the overall climate and weather patterns of Mars.

This is a picture of the ice cap at the South Pole on Mars. This picture was shot from Mars orbit in 2000 by a spacecraft called Mars Global Surveyor. The white regions are ice. Most of the ice is water ice, but there is also a thinner layer of dry ice (frozen carbon dioxide) on top of the water ice. The ice cap is about 420 km (260 miles) across. It was summer in the southern part of Mars when this picture was taken. In the winter, the area shown in this picture is completely covered by dry ice. Click on image for full size version (59K JPEG) Image courtesy of NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems.

The first spacecraft to take a picture of the South Pole of Mars was Mariner 7. The South Pole of Mars has craters, sand dunes, and the polar ice cap.

The south pole of Mars is important because that's where the great dust storms of Mars start! The Mars '98 mission was suppose to land there, but NASA lost contact with it.