NASA Images Suggest Water Still Flows in Brief Spurts on Mars

[thgilsrooc]

NASA photographs have revealed bright new deposits seen in two gullies on Mars that suggest water carried sediment through them sometime during the past seven years.

 

"These observations give the strongest evidence to date that water still flows occasionally on the surface of Mars," said Michael Meyer, lead scientist for NASA's Mars Exploration Program, Washington.

 

Liquid water, as opposed to the water ice and water vapor known to exist at Mars, is considered necessary for life. The new findings heighten intrigue about the potential for microbial life on Mars. The Mars Orbiter Camera on NASA's Mars Global Surveyor provided the new evidence of the deposits in images taken in 2004 and 2005.

 

"The shapes of these deposits are what you would expect to see if the material were carried by flowing water," said Michael Malin of Malin Space Science Systems, San Diego. "They have finger-like branches at the downhill end and easily diverted around small obstacles." Malin is principal investigator for the camera and lead author of a report about the findings published in the journal Science.

 

The atmosphere of Mars is so thin and the temperature so cold that liquid water cannot persist at the surface. It would rapidly evaporate or freeze. Researchers propose that water could remain liquid long enough, after breaking out from an underground source, to carry debris downslope before totally freezing. The two fresh deposits are each several hundred meters or yards long.

Ummmmm, I'd take a drink of that water if given the chance. It would be dangerous, but worth it.

[LabRat]

I saw earlier today that NASA was about to make a revelation regarding Mars, kinda figured it would be something like this.

 

/me waits for the shot of the totally radical dude alien surfing across the Martian landscape

[Bathory]

This is interesting news. It would be an awesome breakthrough if NASA found microbial life on Mars.

Edited December 16, 2006 by Badwog

[jhlightning]

i hear they're gonna send space crews up on 2020 or something..

[Vanyel]

this is still long way to terraforming, though:(