Teams from the ship to Mars Express have been verified for the first time the presence of water ice on the Red Planet's surface, said Friday the European Space Agency.

The ship, which is orbiting the planet's surface, showed the presence of water ice at the south pole of Mars, said agency scientist Allen Moorehouse.

"It's the first time it has been detected" water ice on Mars, "said Moorehouse. "This is the first direct confirmation."

If at one time Mars had water on its surface, it is possible that life forms have existed, although Moorehouse said it was still too early to give conclusions.

Although scientists have indicated in the past that presumably contain the polar ice, the findings were based on indirect methods such as analysis of the temperature or the detection of trace amounts of hydrogen.

European scientists said their discovery was based on the analysis of vapor molecules detected by an infrared camera aboard the Mars Express is orbiting the Red Planet's south pole.

"If you look at the photographs and prints, it is found that is frozen water," said Moorehouse.

In 2001, the instruments of the ship Odyssey, released by NASA, found that there was a large amount of ice just 45 centimeters from the surface.

However, the science director of the European agency, David Southwood, said that these previous conclusions were based on indirect measurements, such as detecting traces of hydrogen, and that Europe was more specific finding.

"Previous measurements were indirect. This is the first time we have direct indications that there are molecules in the water," said Southwood.

However, Orlando Figueroa, director of the Mars exploration program at NASA, on Friday questioned the European claim that the discovery was new.

"Our ship Odyssey, which orbited Mars since 2001, discovered vast quantities of water ice at the north and south latitudes," Figueroa said the cable channel CNN. "Therefore, it is not something new, but we are happy that the Satellite (European) has been detected where there is" the water.

What discovered the team Teams from the ship to Mars Express in mars?
They discovered water ice

What´s ship name that orbited mars since 2001?
The name ship is Odyssey

Who says that this isn´t a new discovery?
Orlando Figueroa, the director of the Mars exploration program of nasa

Which country made the descovery?
Europe