NASA claims there aren’t just traces of water in Mars as believed earlier but ‘very liquid, very flowing water’.
'We have had this story of ancient water on Mars,' said Ken Edgett, a scientist with Malin Space Science Systems, during a press conference. 'Today, we are talking about liquid water that is present on Mars right now.'The pictures taken by NASA's Mars Global Surveyor, a satellite in orbit around Mars support this assumption. NASA Scientists compared a picture of a gully taken in December 2001 with a picture of the same gully taken in 2005. The recent picture shows fresh deposits along the sides of the gully and the shape of the deposits suggest that flowing water must have formed them.
Although this cannot be taken as proof it's extremely suggestive. And the thrilling part is, where there's water, there could be life.
'These fresh deposits suggest that at some places and times on present-day Mars, liquid water is emerging from beneath the ground and briefly flowing down the slopes,' said Michael Malin of Malin Space Science Systems. 'This possibility raises questions about how the water would stay melted below ground, how widespread it might be, and whether there's a below-ground wet habitat conducive to life. Future missions may provide the answers.'
The space agency intends to use other probes to assess the chemical composition of the area for more proof of liquid water.
Source-Medindia
PRI
