Liquid water lake discovered on Mars, Life & Culture

[TAMPA] A huge underground lake was detected for the first time on Mars, raising hopes that more water – and maybe even life – exists there, international astronomers said Wednesday.

located under a layer of Martian ice. About 20km wide, said the report in the American journal Science

C is the largest body of liquid water ever found on the red planet.

"The water is there, we have no doubt", co-author Enrico At a press conference, Flamini, head of the Mars Express mission of the l & # 39; Italian space agency, said:

Mars is now cold, arid 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. "

" This is an amazing result that suggests that water on Mars is not a temporary net like the previous discoveries, but a mass of water persistent that provides the necessary conditions for life for long periods. Alan Duffy, associate 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 swimmable nor drinkable, and is nearly 1.6 km below the icy surface in a harsh, icy environment.

Some experts are skeptical about the possibility that the lake is so cold and so brackish, mixed with a high dose of dissolved salts and minerals.

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 from an extraordinary importance, which can only reinforce speculation on the red planet, "said Fred Watson of the Australian Astronomical Observatory.

"Caution is required, however, since the concentration of salts needed to maintain liquid water could be fatal to any microbial life similar to that of the Earth" Mr. Watson was not involved in research

RADAR DETECTION

The discovery was made using a radar instrument aboard the Mars Express orbiter of the European Space Agency, launched in 2003.

It is called the Advanced Mars Radar for Underground and Ionospheric (MARSIS) and was designed to detect groundwater by sending radar pulses into the surface and ice caps.

MARSIS "next measured how radio waves propagate. "These reflections" provide scientists with information about what lies beneath the surface. "

A team of researchers led by Roberto Orosei of the National Institute of Astrophysics at Bolo Italy, Italy, studied an area 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 its associated 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. The researchers have said that they are not sure of the distance that separates them, but that it can be about 1 m deep.

NECESSARY CONFIRMATION

"This is the first stretch of water "David Stillman, senior researcher at the Department of Space Studies of the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas, told AFP in an email.

However, Mr. Stillman, who was He was not involved in the search, said another spacecraft, or other instruments, must be able to confirm the discovery.

He noted that a higher frequency radar instrument was launched by the Italian space agency SHARAD aboard the Mars Reconnaiss In 2005, Orbiter was unable to detect groundwater.

"It's odd that SHARAD can not confirm this discovery – in fact, SHARAD can not penetrate the ice here and no one understands why it can not," Stillman said.

"This suggests that something strange is going on here, so I'm skeptical about this discovery."

But researchers are excited about the potential for future discoveries, because if the # 39, liquid water could be found at the south pole of Mars, it could be elsewhere too.

"There are probably similar water deposits under ground all over Mars."

Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield said that Mr. Duffy was the most sensitive to this region except MARSIS radar of the Mars Express satellite. said on Twitter that the discovery leads to one of the fundamental questions about existence.

"On Earth, where there is water, there is life, maybe we are not alone."

AFP