Can someone help clear something up about Mars for me ?

[Alan62]

I"ve seen it from my house & it's in the news that it's closest to earth in last 60k years , Yada Yada Yada...
OK This is what I dont get, WHY every once in a while it's big news & Scientists report " WATER MAY BE FOUND ON MARS " this would be an important breakthrough as life may be there also as well.
BUT wait , lately we've all seen pictures of Mars as it's been close to us recently ect. & IT has POLAR ICECAPS ??
If you look throught a telescope you'll see the polar icecaps.., seen them for myself, THEN WHY DO THEY THINK THERES NO WATER ON MARS ? ISNT AN ICECAP WATER ???????
I know I'm mising something here but @ the risk of looking foolish, figured I'd ask anyhoo !
thanks,

[Gotrox]

Co2 (frozen carbon dioxide-"dry ice") some water ice also, but we are looking for "free" water IE---water not frozen

[Alan62]

They should look just north then just south of the icecaps , where it's warmer . I bet it'll be all wet. Someone shoot the Mar's Scienctists an E mail with this tip

[Cherry Kelly]

Alan -- see enterprisemission.com lots of good pictures and information.

We too are watching Mars as much as possible - had a bit of cloud cover last few nights... sighhhhh.

And don't forget the dust storms! Lots of those - at least one was visible via telescope. ((not gonna say it - yes I am - dry as a bone around here too and am only glad we don't have massive dust storms going on!))

[Alan62]

follow your advice ! Interesting times for Mar's gazer's to say the least. :p

[Devastated]

Stuck at the watering hole again?

[Alan62]

one or two or ten but vacation's coming to an end soon:(
Hoping to see it tonight " Mars "that is ,was too much cloud cover yesterday
Enterprisemission.com is a neat site thanks again for the info .

[Gotrox]

Mars atmospheric pressure doesn't allow liquid water to exist for long ( it boils or freezes, or "sublimates" IE- to go directly from a solid to a gas ) thats why you won't see running water anywhere on mars, except as stains on the sides of very deep canyons, where the pressure is greater.