NASA spacecraft flies over gullies on Mars. They could host pools.

Mars' irradiated surface is a godforsaken place.

And yet there may be shallow pools of water near the Martian surface, a place 1,000 times drier than the driest desert on Earth. NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter — a satellite that's been orbiting Mars for nearly two decades — spotted white material lining dry gullies on Mars. The space agency, which recently released the image below, suspects it's dusty water ice that could heat up and form pools, similar to processes on our planet.

"Scientists...