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Tampa: A huge underground lake was detected for the first time on Mars, raising hopes that more water – and possibly even life – exists there, announced Wednesday. International astronomers
The lake has a width of about 20 kilometers, according to the report published in the American journal Science
. It is the largest basin of liquid water ever found on the red planet.
"The water is there.We have no doubt about it," said co-author Enrico Flamini, mission manager of the Italian Mars Express space agency, during a meeting with the US Navy. a press conference
Mars is now cold, arid and dry. 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. "
" This is an astonishing result that suggests that water on Mars is not a temporary net as previous discoveries, but a persistent water mbad that provides conditions of life for long periods of time, "said Alan Duffy, badociate professor at the University of Swinburne in Australia, who was not involved in the study.
Being able to access water sources could also help humans survive during a future crewed mission on the neighboring planet. in the 2030s.
This particular lake, however, would be neither napable nor drinkable, and it lies nearly a mile deep (1.6 km) below the icy surface in a harsh environment and glacial.
The question of whether microbial life forms could be found in the interior is controversial
. Some experts are skeptical about the possibility that the lake is so cold and brackish mixed with a high dose of dissolved Martian salts and minerals.
The temperature is probably below the freezing point of pure water, but the lake 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
. because 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.
– Radar Detection –
The discovery was made using a radar instrument embarked on the Mars Express orbiter of the European Space Agency, launched in 2003.
The instrument called Mars Advanced Radar for the Subsurface and Ionospheric Survey (MARSIS), was designed to detect groundwater by sending radar pulses to penetrate the surface and ice caps.
MARSIS "then measures how radio waves propagate and reflect to the spaceship, "said the study.
These reflections" provide scientists "
A team of researchers led by Roberto Orosei of the National Institute of Astrophysics of Bologna, in I talie, studied a region called Planum australe, 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 clear change in the 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.
The researchers said that they did not know how far it went, but that it can have a depth of about one meter.
– Confirmation Necessary –
"It's the First Detected Water Span David Stillman, Senior Research Scientist at the Department of Space Studies of the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas, said at AFP in an email.
However, Stillman, who was not involved in the search, said that another spacecraft, or other instruments, needed to be able to confirm the
He noted that a higher frequency radar instrument made by the Italian space agency SHARAD, aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter launched in 2005, was unable to detect the groundwater
"It is strange that SHARAD can not confirm this discovery. In fact, SHARAD can not penetrate through the ice here and no one understands why he can not, "said Stillman.
" This suggests that something weird is going on here. So, I'm skeptical about this discovery. "
But researchers are excited about the potential for future discoveries, because if liquid water could be found at the south pole of Mars, it could be elsewhere as well.
" There are probably some deposits similar water under the ground all over Mars. "
Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield said: on Twitter, the discovery leads to one of the fundamental issues of existence.
"On Earth, where there is water, there is life. Might be we are not alone. "
AFP
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