Regarding Mars Express and the (admittedly very exciting) search for WATER up to 5 kilometers beneath the Martian surface, I've recently read what's at:
http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/express/mission/sc_science_marsis02.html I am a little concerned, though, that the search won't do a particularly good job of detecting the presence of ICE. Mars is COLD and liquid may not be that abundant nowadays. The abovementioned link only makes a rather passing reference to the quest to distinguish between rock and ice near the surface, though. I'm concerned about the potential for "false negatives" and the adverse impact they could have on fervor for Mars exploration. WashingtonPost.com suggests that ice and rock will be distinguishable by Mars Express, but again I see few (if any) details:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A30844-2003Dec25.html QUOTE: "Mars Express can even probe beneath the surface of the planet using long wavelength radio waves from a 130-foot antenna to search for signs of subsurface water or ice."
In the mean time, I'm not particularly inclined to trust anything that Astrium says on its website. Look at all the promises made by Space Launch Initiative contractors in the USA, for example, even as the cost of launching humans into space from North America has gone nowhere but UP over time. Judging from your recent MARSIS analysis, it's increasingly seeming like ESA's contractors were more concerned with putting on a good show in hopes of securing greater funding for future projects. Doing a particularly good job seemed secondary, if not worth avoiding altogether. After all, the sting of defeat could prod the taxpayers into forking over more hard-earned Euros to recover from the international embarrassment.
Faith in your religion is a good thing to have.