NASA confirms evidence of flowing water on Mars

Scientists have found evidence of flowing waters on mars’ surface increasing suspicion about possibility of existence of life on the red planet. Mars has crater walls and canyons over which the water runs down during summer. The flow has left dark and long stains on the terrain. Scientists are saying that these trickles might flow down hundreds of meters downhill in summer as they dry up in winter months. In the taken images, one can see cliffs, crater walls having streaks of water flows forming fan – like patterns upon combining at some active spots. Scientists are still not sure of the source of water on mars, but suspect that it may come from the salty aquifers, underground ice or out of atmosphere. Michael Meyer, lead scientist of mars exploration programme, says, “There is liquid water today on the surface of Mars. Because of this, we suspect that it is at least possible to have a habitable environment today.”

These water flows could point space agencies towards sites sustaining life on mars. Further these sites can be used as a landing spot for future missions and water can be used from the planet’s natural supply. Jim Green of NASA says, “Mars is not the dry, arid planet that we thought of in the past. Liquid water has been found on Mars.” In NASA’s earlier missions, it was revealed that mars had a watery past supported by evidence of dried up rivers and submerged plains. Earlier this year it was discovered that the planet’s northern hemisphere might have been covered by a vast ancient ocean. Also occasionally hints of presence of water have been found during mars probes.

Mars global surveyor of NASA sent some pictures a decade ago which showed water bursting out of a wall and flowing over debris and boulders. In 2011, NASA launched mars Reconnaissance Orbiter packed with a high resolution camera that took photos of what appeared to be little water streams flowing down the walls of craters. These flows were named “recurring slope lineae”.  Researchers are now deploying another instrument on MRO to analyze the nature of these flows. Research team headed by Lujendra Ojha, is using a spectrometer to analyze the reflected infrared light from the rocky walls where the streaks appeared. The article appeared in Nature Geosciences journal describing the infrared red signatures reflected from the hydrated salts from the flows. These salts contain a mixture of chlorates and perchlorates – a solid evidence of water present on mars at 4 sites namely Coprates Chasma canyon, Horowitz, Palikir and Hale craters.

Alfred McEwen, planetary geologist and senior author said, “These may be the best places to search for extant life near the surface of Mars. While it would be very important to find evidence of ancient life, it would be difficult to understand the biology. Current life would be much more informative.”
According to the photos taken over course of time, these flows appear when temperature at the surface shoots above -23C. Here the water is able to remain liquid because of the salts that lower its freezing point below 0C. Meyer says, “The mystery has been, what is permitting this flow? Presumably water, but until now, there has been no spectral signature. From this, we conclude that the RSL are generated by water interacting with perchlorates, forming a brine that flows downhill.”

Image Source: NASA