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• The core of Mars is at least partially molten, according to an analysis of three years of tracking data from Mars Global Surveyor. A team headed by Charles Yoder of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory concluded that the iron core is either completely molten, or that it consists of a liquid outer core with a solid inner core.

• The Martian polar ice caps consist almost entirely of frozen water, not carbon dioxide, according to Caltech planetary scientists Andy Ingersoll and Shane Byrne. They used images and temperature readings of the south polar cap to deduce that it consists of a thin covering of frozen carbon dioxide, with a much thicker layer of frozen water beneath.

• Enough water is frozen beneath the Martian surface to cover the entire planet in an ankle-deep lake. Los Alamos National Laboratory scientist Bill Feldman calculated the amount of water from readings by Mars Odyssey, which has orbited Mars since October 2001. Feldman released a map showing the distribution of permafrost across the entire planet.