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Tampa – A gigantic underground lake has been detected for the first time on Mars, suggesting that there is more water – and possibly even life -, said Wednesday. International astronomers
According to the report conducted by Italian researchers in the American science journal Science, the lake has a width of about 20 km
C is the largest volume of liquid water never found on the red planet. suggests that water on Mars is not a temporary net as previous discoveries, but a persistent water mbad that provides living conditions for long periods of time, "said Alan Duffy, professor Associate at the University of Swinburne in Australia.
Mars is now cold, barren and dry, but it was hot and humid. There was at least 3.6 billion years of liquid water and lakes.
Scientists are eager to find signs of contemporary water, as these discoveries are essential to discover the mystery of life on Mars.
The possibility of accessing water sources could also help humans survive during a future crewed mission on the planet next to Earth
However, this particular lake would not be drinkable and would be about 1.5 km below the icy surface in a harsh and icy environment.
The question of whether microbial forms of life are found in the interior is controversial.
Some experts are skeptical about the possibility that the lake is so cold and brackish.
The temperature is probably lower than the freezing point of pure water, but it can remain liquid due to the presence of magnesium, calcium and sodium.
"This is a discovery of extraordinary significance, which can only increase speculation about the presence of living organisms on the red planet", said Fred Watson, of the Australian Astronomical Observatory
. however, as the concentration of salts needed to keep liquid water could be fatal for any microbial life similar to that of the Earth, "added Watson, who was not involved in the research. [19659002]
The discovery was made using radar instruments aboard the Mars Express orbiter of the I & # 39; European Space Agency, launched in 2003.
The instrument is called Mars Advanced Radar for the Subsurface and Ionospheric Survey (MARSIS) .Designed to find underground water by sending radar pulses that penetrate into the surface and ice caps.
MARSIS "then measures how radio waves propagate and reflect toward the spacecraft," says the study.
"The main author Roberto Orosei of the Istituto Nazionale di Astrofisica in Bologna, Italy, studied a region called Planum Austral, located in the southern ice cap of Mars, from May 2012 to December. 2015.
A total of 29 series of radar samplings showed a "very abrupt change in its badociated radar signal", allowing scientists to map the contours of the lake.
"The radar profile of this area is similar to that of the liquid water lakes found under the Antarctic and Greenland ice sheets on Earth, suggesting that there is an underwater lake. glacier at this location on Mars, "says the report.
"This is the first stretch of water that he has detected, so it's very exciting David Stillman, Senior Researcher in the Department of Spaceman was interviewed by AFP in an e-mail
However, Stillman, who was not involved in the research, said that & # 39; Another spacecraft, or other instruments, was to be able to confirm the discovery.
He noted that a high-frequency radar instrument manufactured by the Italian Space Agency, Sharad, aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter launched in 2005, was unable to detect groundwater.
"It is strange that Sharad can not confirm In fact, Sharad can not penetrate through the ice here and no one understands why he can not," Stillman said. "
" This suggests that some Strange thing is happening here. . "
But researchers are excited about the pot Indeed, if liquid water could be found at the south pole of Mars, it could be elsewhere.
" There is nothing special at this location other than Marsis radar on Mars Express is the most sensitive to this region. which means that there are probably similar water deposits under the ground through Mars, "said Duffy. [ad_2]
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