From The Hindu Archives, September 24, 1976: Mars may have more water than Earth

Pasadena (California), September 23: Mars is like a giant ice-lollipop packed with vast quantities of frozen water — and it might even possess more water than earth, according to U.S. scientists.

Viking project scientists here said the martian north polar cap had been found to contain huge amounts of water ice and the rest of the red planet’s rocky surface might be a thin blanket over an enormous ice sheet.

The announcement of the Viking space probe findings ended a long-standing dispute over whether martian polar caps might be composed of frozen carbon dioxide instead of water ice.

The experts made it clear at a press conference there was more water on mars than they ever expected.

“Mars can perhaps be described as an iceberg floating in a sea of rock and the north pole is the top,” said Dr. Barney Famer, head of the Viking Water Vapour Mapping Team.