REAL LIFE NEWS: THERE’S WATER ON MARS
by Hazed
Water has been found on Mars – real, sloshing, liquid water, not frozen ice. A whole lake of the stuff is hidden beneath multiple layers of dust and ice, say scientists in a new paper.
This is the first conclusive evidence that there is water existing in a liquid state right now, and not just in the past.
The lake is under the planet’s South Pole, and it is about 20km across. It was found by the Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding instrument (MARSIS), which sent radar pulses below the ground to check out a patch stretching 200km wide, between May 2012 and December 2015. These pulses let us see what kinds of materials are hidden under the surface.
The result is that the surface is mostly ice and dust to about 1.5km down, but going deeper, the scientists found a layer that had a particularly bright reflection. Analysing the surrounding deposits and the temperature of the environment, they believe that this is a pool of liquid water saturated with salty sediments.
The lead author of the paper, Roberto Orosei, who is the principal investigator of the MARSIS experiment, said, “This subsurface anomaly on Mars has radar properties matching water or water-rich sediments.”
This is a tremendously exciting find, as Orosei explained: “This thrilling discovery is a highlight for planetary science and will contribute to our understanding of the evolution of Mars, the history of water on our neighbour planet and its habitability. This is just one small study area; it is an exciting prospect to think there could be more of these underground pockets of water elsewhere, yet to be discovered.”
It’s also going to make life easier for future Mars colonists. After all, Diesel couldn’t brew her famous ale without water.
Source: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/07/26/mars_water_found/
