The BBC is reporting that NASA has discovered great quantities of water on Mars. The water was found with a gamma-ray spectrometer by the Mars Odyssey spacecraft.

There is supposedly enough water, in the form of ice crystals just beneath the surface of the planet, that if it melted, it would create a planet-wide ocean 500 meters deep.

While some people are re-thinking the possibility of life on Mars, others hope that the discovery will re-kindle our desire to explore and settle other planets. In the immortal words of our once-beloved Vice President Dan Quayle:

"Mars is essentially in the same orbit... Mars is somewhat the same distance from the Sun, which is very important. We have seen pictures where there are canals, we believe, and water. If there is water, that means there is oxygen. If oxygen, that means we can breathe."

...or at least, we can drink.