Guest_Jim_* Posted September 28, 2015 Posted September 28, 2015 For a very long time people have questioned if there was life on Mars, and for a time some even believed that images from telescopes revealed a vast network of canals, built by Martians. Now we know there are no canals on the red planet, and no life capable of building them either. However, NASA has today confirmed evidence of liquid water flows on Mars. In 2010 telemetry from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's (MRO's) High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) revealed curious dark streaks in some areas, called recurring slope lineae (RSL). These features were seen to come and go with the Martian seasons, appearing in the warm seasons and fading in the cooler ones. Now with data from MRO's Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) researchers have found hydrated salts at RSL locations, indicating the presence of liquid water, but only when they were relatively wide. These salts are likely perchlorates, which have been shown on Earth to keep liquids from freezing at even -70 ºC, and have previously been found on Mars by other missions, including the Phoenix lander and Curiosity rover. A likely explanation for the RSL is that there are flows of briny water flowing beneath the Martian surface in these areas, and enough water manages to wick up to the surface to visibly darken it. Even if the process that forms the dark streaks has another explanation, it is still clear by the presence of the hydrated salts that liquid water plays a role. Source: NASA Back to original news post Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bp9801 Posted September 28, 2015 Posted September 28, 2015 A time-lapse over several months showing what's believed to be the water. The dark streaks, the water, extend out over those months. And that hydrated salt means water was present days ago in order to produce it. Just remarkable. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanTheGamer11 Posted September 28, 2015 Posted September 28, 2015 That's cool, guess that zone will be watched for potential manned missions Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bp9801 Posted September 28, 2015 Posted September 28, 2015 That's cool, guess that zone will be watched for potential manned missions Funnily enough, one of the areas where the liquid water is suspected to flow is the area where the book/movie The Martian take place. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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