How important is the presence of liquid water?
It is now widely believed that Mars contains a relatively large volume of water.
However, the surface of the planet is so cold that this water exists only as ice.
For life to exist on a planet, many scientists believe that it is very important for the world to have liquid water.
Ever since technology has allowed humanity to see Mars in detail, humans have been looking for clues that there is water on the red planet.
Did water previously flow on the surface of Mars?
The Mariner 9 mission found evidence of water erosion at the bottom of rivers and canyons, as well as evidence of weather fronts and nebulae on Mars in 1971.
Then the Viking orbiter mission, first launched in 1975, revealed more details about how water flows across the surface and carved valleys.
For decades, several studies investigated the presence of liquid water. In 2000, the first evidence of liquid water was found on Mars.
There is an assumption that the trenches on the planet’s surface must have been formed by flowing water.
Scientists cite the debris and silt left behind as evidence that moving water existed at some point in the Red Planet’s history.
However, the formation of this channel was hotly debated in the following years.
Evidence of ice in geological samples from Mars
Spirit and Opportunity, twin discoverers, found evidence of water trapped in rocks in 2007 when one of Spirit’s wheels broke and devoured a piece of rock.
Analysis of the silica-rich layer found in the scratch indicates that it formed in the presence of liquid water.
In 2008, the Phoenix lander collected geological samples that disappeared after a few days.
Scientists thought these were pieces of ice. This assessment was confirmed when the lander later found moisture in the sample.
In 2012, Curiosity weaved across the floor of ancient Mars while examining a series of rocks that had been exposed to molten water billions of years ago.
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In 2012, Curiosity (pictured) weaved across the floor of ancient Mars while examining a series of rocks exposed to liquid water billions of years ago.
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Repeated slope lines and debates cause it
The traits known as Recurring Slope Lineae (RSL) were first identified in 2011.
These dark stripes fill the Martian region with a strong slope.
The researchers speculate that this may be due to the intermittent flow of liquid water on the planet’s steep shores.
In June 2013, Curiosity found strong evidence that water good enough to drink once flowed on Mars. In September of the same year, the first globe analyzed by Curiosity showed that the finer material on the planet’s surface contains two percent by weight of water.
In 2015, NASA claimed to have found the first evidence of liquid water on Mars today.
The space agency said the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) provided the strongest evidence yet that liquid water flows intermittently on Mars today.
In 2017, NASA issued another statement rebuking its initial findings.
The traits known as Recurring Slope Lineae (RSL) were first identified in 2011 (pictured). These dark stripes fill the Martian region with a strong slope. The researchers speculate that this may be due to the intermittent flow of liquid water
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It is said that the steeply sloping dark structure on the red planet is actually a grained current, with grains of sand and dust sliding downhill and forming dark streaks, instead of soil being darkened by seeping water.
Images from the MRO show that the streaks only exist on slopes steep enough for dry grain to descend, as occurs on the side of an active dune.
Again in 2017, scientists gave the best estimate of water on Mars, claiming that it once contained more liquid H2O than the Arctic Ocean – and the planet held it in for more than 1.5 billion years.
The results showed that there was enough time and water on Mars to thrive, but over the last 3.7 billion years, the Red Planet has lost 87 percent of its water – its surface is barren and dry.
Underground lake
In a study published in the journal Science, ESO researchers have now found the first real evidence of liquid water on Mars.
Using radar images from the Mars Express probe, the ESO team discovered a 12-mile-long underground lake filled with liquid water.
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