March: The fascinating discovery of the first liquid water lake on the red planet

It's a kind of lake under a layer of ice

A team of researchers has found evidence of the existence of a body of liquid water on Mars.

The liquid was found under a layer of ice in an area from the south pole of this planet

In the past, traces of intermittent aqueous fluid had been obtained on the Martian surface, but 39; is the first sign of the existence of a water plan on this planet.

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Tasks performed by the American Space Agency (NASA) exploration vehicle Curiosity showed that in the past there was water on the surface of Mars but, the cooling of this planet caused by its end In the atmosphere, it left most of this liquid turned into ice

The discovery of liquid water was obtained thanks to Marsis, a radar found on board Mars Express Orbiter which forms part of the Mars Exploration mission of the European Space Agency (ESA).

"Probably not a very large lake," said Professor Roberto Orosei of the National Institute of Astrophysics, who led the study.

Marsis could not determine the depth of the water plane, but the researchers believe that

"This is really considered a water plan. C & # 39; is a lake, not a kind of melted water that fills a gap between stone and ice as happens with Glaciers on Earth ", adds Orosei

What does this mean? mean for life?

For the moment, nothing definitive.

"We have known for a long time that the surface of Mars is uninhabitable for life as we know it, so the search for life on this planet is now concentrated below the surface ," explains Manish Patel, Professor at the Open University in the UK, BBC

"It's there that we get enough protection against harmful radiation s and the pressure and temperature rise to more favorable levels." still, this allows the existence of liquid water, something essential for life, "he adds

This principle of searching for water is the key to astrobiology, the study of potential life beyond the Earth

Thus, although the discovery suggests the # 39, existence of water, it confirms nothing more.

We're not closer to really detecting life What this discovery gives us is where to look at Mars, it's like a treasure map except that in this case there will be a lot of X marking the sites, "says Patel.

The temperature of the water and its chemistry could also pose a problem to any living organism living on Mars. 19659007] Remain liquid in these cold conditions (the researchers estimate that the temperature varies from -10 C to -30 C), it is likely that the water contains a lot of dissolved salts.

"It is likely that the Water is extremely cold and very salty, which would be very difficult for life "explains Claire Cousins, astrobiologist and St. Andrews University, UK

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