Evidence of Water Found on Mars
- by Carmen Reese
- in Science
- — Oct 4, 2015
The quest for water on Mars has led to many endeavours from scientists who wish to find whether life can be sustained on the planet.
Lujendra Ojha of the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences at the Georgia Institute of Technology said that his team of researchers found evidence of hydrated salts, including magnesium perchlorate, magnesium chlorate and sodium perchlorate.
For years, scientists had observed dark streaks on the surface of Mars form during the spring, grow through the summer and disappear in the fall.
Are they really a sign of flowing water or are they simply caused by dry grains of material rolling down the slopes of a freeze-dried planet surface?
For this reason, despite the incredibly harsh temperatures, the water can flow during the planet's summer months when it passes the -23C temperature.
Although the source and the chemistry of the water remain unknown, the discovery will change scientists' thinking about whether the planet that is most like Earth in the solar system hosts microbial life beneath its radiation-blasted crust.
The scientists aren't sure where the water is coming from though it is believed that billion years ago, Mars had rivers, lakes and other water bodies.
NASA made a key discovery about Mars which may have ramifications in the search for life on the planet. "There pretty much has to have been liquid water recently present to produce the hydrated salt".
Of course, the first question during the live news conference asked about the potential for life on Mars.
They were spotted by the Mars orbiter's high-resolution, telescopic camera, and another onboard instrument detected the chemical signature of salt compounds combined with water.
"It is probably briny water", researcher said.
The study, which was published on Monday in Nature Geosciences journal, is based on data collected by National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)'s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO).
Nasa's Mars rover, Curiosity, has been exploring the Gale Crater on the planet since 2012 and found tantalising clues of possible life in the past.
