On Jan. 18, 2004, the European Space Agency’s Mars Express successfully mapped Mars’ south pole, and, in a first, revealed the presence of both water ice and carbon dioxide ice. Launched June 2, 2003, the Mars Express orbiter arrived at the Red Planet on Dec. 25 of the same year to begin its mission of Continue reading "Jan. 18, 2004: Mars Express maps the Red Planet’s south pole" The post Jan. 18, 2004: Mars Express maps the Red Planet’s south pole appeared first on Astronomy Magazine .