Be sure to pack some arm floats and a large drill as you fly to Mars. There may be an entire world of water pools hidden under the southern ice sheet of a dry, dusty planet.

A new study led by researchers at the University of Roma Trey in Italy strengthens the case 2018 Discovery of the lake hidden under the polar ice on Mars, And then expands the discovery to include three new pools.

The researchers found radical data from radar data from the European Space Agency’s Mars Express Orbiter.

“Now, with more data and another analysis, three new pools have been identified.” ESA said in a statement Monday. The team published its Study in the Journal of Nature Astronomy Monday.

The lakes seem to be lurking under heavy snow. The largest lake has small ponds about 19 miles (30 km) across.

The researchers expect the water to be incredibly salty enough to remain liquid at low temperatures. A special The 2019 study suggested volcanic activity It may help to keep the water from freezing, but the current paper salt tends to be very skewed.

“Although surface water may not be stable today, the new result opens up the possibility that the entire system of ancient lakes may remain underground, perhaps millions or billions of years old,” the ESA said.

Humans are busy searching for signs of life on Mars – especially the evidence of ancient microbes. NASA’s new persistence rover will continue this investigation From the surface of the red planet. Liquid reservoirs are a special place to seek life, but these pools are very difficult to reach. There is 1 mile (1.5 km) of ice on the way.

We may not get any major answers from Mars’ South Pole at any time, but it will provide a future goal for exploration once our technology challenge is met.