3Pre-IntermediateKidsAges 9-11Science

Mars Ice Is Much Cleaner Than We Thought!

Scientists used to think the ice on Mars had lots of dust in it. Now they found it is much cleaner! This is exciting news about the Red Planet.

1 min readLevel 3October 4, 2026

By Flalingo Editorial Team

Vocabulary

Study these words before reading the article. Click the audio button to hear pronunciation.

dust

/dʌst/

noun

Very small pieces of dirt that float in the air or sit on things

“There was dust on the old books in the room.”

pole

/poʊl/

noun

The very top or very bottom point of a planet

“It is very cold at the north pole.”

discovery

/dɪˈskʌvəri/

noun

Finding something new that nobody knew before

“The discovery of the old coins was exciting.”

layer

/ˈleɪər/

noun

One part that sits on top of another part

“The cake had a layer of chocolate on top.”

frost

/frɒst/

noun

A thin cover of ice that forms when it is very cold

“There was frost on the window this morning.”

appear

/əˈpɪr/

verb

To become able to be seen; to show up

“The sun will appear from behind the clouds.”

Listen to Article

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Article

Click on any underlined word to see its definition. Highlighted words are from the vocabulary section.

Mars has ice at its north pole. Scientists study this ice very carefully. They used to think it was very dusty. They believed it was about 25% dust. That is a lot of dust in ice!

A new study found something different. The ice only has about 3% dust. That is much less than before! The ice is like an ice cream sandwich. Clean ice sits under a dusty top layer.

In winter, dusty frost covers the ice. In summer, the frost goes away. Then the clean, old ice appears below. This discovery helps us learn more about Mars!

Comprehension Quiz

Test your understanding of the article with these multiple-choice questions.

1
How much dust did scientists first think was in the Mars ice?
2
How much dust does the ice really have?
3
What happens to the dusty frost in summer?
4
What food does the ice look like inside?

Discussion

Answer these comprehension questions about the article.

1
Where is the ice on Mars?
2
How much dust did scientists think was in the ice before?
3
How much dust is really in the ice?
4
What happens to the frost in summer on Mars?
5
What does the ice look like inside, according to scientists?

Further Discussion

Share your opinions on these open-ended questions.

1
Would you like to visit Mars one day? Why or why not?
2
What do you think it feels like to touch ice on Mars?
3
If you were a scientist, what planet would you study?
4
Can you think of something on Earth that looks like an ice cream sandwich?
5
What is the most exciting discovery you have learned about?

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