Mars Could Host Liquid Water
Posted in: science, space, Today's Chili
Scientists may have discovered the first proof that Mars currently hosts liquid water, according to National Geographic.
In a series of photos taken of the Phoenix Mars robotic craft’s landing strut, liquid droplets appear to be growing, dripping, and merging over the course of the past month, the report said. Scientists working on the mission said that the globs are probably saline mud that splashed onto the strut when the craft landed; salt in the mud could have absorbed water vapor in the atmosphere and formed the drops.
Phoenix co-investigator Nilton Renno of the University of Michigan said in the article that the water can stay liquid even in the frigid Martian arctic because it contains a high amount of perchlorates. “[That’s] a salt with properties like the antifreeze used to melt snow here in Michigan,” Renno said. While the evidence points to the presence of liquid water, it’s probably not the kind that could harbor life—it’s too cold and salty, according to the report.
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