Tuesday, September 29

Water Located on Mars

It does not sound like news since Mars and water have been discussed for many years, yet in this case the issue is not water in the past but water on the surface today.  This is a very different story.  The new evidence comes from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). Here is what NASA has to say:
Using an imaging spectrometer on MRO, researchers detected signatures of hydrated minerals on slopes where mysterious streaks are seen on the Red Planet. These darkish streaks appear to ebb and flow over time. They darken and appear to flow down steep slopes during warm seasons, and then fade in cooler seasons. They appear in several locations on Mars when temperatures are above minus 10 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 23 Celsius), and disappear at colder times.
 What does this mean?  The press release continues:
“It took multiple spacecraft over several years to solve this mystery, and now we know there is liquid water on the surface of this cold, desert planet,” said Michael Meyer, lead scientist for NASA’s Mars Exploration Program at the agency’s headquarters in Washington. “It seems that the more we study Mars, the more we learn how life could be supported and where there are resources to support life in the future.”
That is key - existing life and future life.  We may want to determine the former before we become the latter.  We are certainly making progress as we poke, observe, and roam the Red Planet.