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What is the importance of the presence of liquid water?
It is now widely accepted that Mars contains a reasonably high water volume.
However, the surface of the planet is so cold that this water only exists in the form of ice.
For life to exist on the planet, many scientists believe that it is essential for the world to have liquid water.
Since technology has allowed humanity to look at Mars in detail, humans have been looking for clues indicating that there was water on the red planet.
Did the water flow on the surface of Mars?
The Mariner 9 mission revealed evidence of water erosion in river beds and canyons, as well as evidence of weather fronts and fog on Mars in 1971.
Subsequent missions of the Viking Orbiters, first launched in 1975, revealed even more details about how water flowed on the surface and into sculpted valleys.
Several studies have studied the presence of liquid water for decades. In 2000, the first evidence of liquid water on Mars was discovered.
It has been claimed that the ravines observed on the surface of the planet must have been formed by running water.
Scientists have cited the debris and mud deposits left as evidence of the presence of water moving at some point in the history of the red planet.
However, the formation of these gullies was hotly debated in the following years.
Evidence of ice in geological samples of Mars
Spirit and Opportunity, the twins, found evidence of water being trapped in the rock in 2007, when one of Spirit's wheels broke and gorged a piece of rock.
The analysis of the silica-rich layer found in the scratch suggests that it was formed in the presence of liquid water.
In 2008, the Phoenix landed geological samples and they disappeared after a few days.
Scientists thought it was ice chunks. This assessment was confirmed when the undercarriage subsequently detected water vapor in a sample.
In 2012, Curiosity roamed an ancient Martian seabed by examining a number of rocks exposed to liquid water billions of years ago.
In 2012, Curiosity (photo) snaked on an ancient Martian seabed when it surveyed a number of rocks exposed to liquid water billions of years ago.
The recurrent lineae and the debate are the cause
The features known as Recurrent Slope Linear (RSL) were first identified in 2011.
These dark streaks populate the areas of Mars with a strong inclination.
The researchers speculated that these may have been caused by the intermittent flow of liquid water into the steep banks of the planet.
In June 2013, Curiosity found compelling evidence that water was enough to drink once on Mars. In September of the same year, the first soil sample analyzed by Curiosity revealed that fine materials on the surface of the planet contain two percent water by weight.
In 2015, NASA claimed to have discovered the first traces of liquid water on Mars these days.
The space agency said its Mars reconnaissance orbiter (MRO) provided the strongest evidence to date that liquid water is flowing intermittently on the current Mars planet.
In 2017, NASA issued another statement reprimanding its initial findings.
The features known as Recurrent Slope Lineae (RSL) were first identified in 2011 (photo). These dark streaks populate the areas of Mars with a strong inclination. The researchers speculated that these may have been caused by the intermittent flow of liquid water
He said the dark features that swept the steep slopes of the red planet were actually granular flows, where grains of sand and dust glided downhill to form dark streaks, rather than darkening the ground with of water.
MRO images revealed that streaks only existed on slopes steep enough for dry grains to descend as they do on the faces of active dunes.
Also in 2017, scientists provided the best water estimates for Mars, claiming that it once contained more liquid H2O than the Arctic Ocean – and that the planet has conserved these oceans for more than 1.5 billion years. years.
The results suggest that there was sufficient time and water for life on Mars, but over the course of 3.7 billion years, the red planet lost 87% of its water, leaving the surface sterile and dry.
An underground lake
In a study published in the journal Science, ESO researchers discovered the first concrete evidence of liquid water on Mars.
Thanks to Mars Express's radar imagery, the ESO team found a 12-mile-long underground lake filled with liquid water.
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