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The discovery of the existence of a lake underground, liquid and salty in March under a layer of ice, increases the chances of finding life on the red planet, according to scientists consulted by EFE who pointed out that this could be one of the scientific discoveries of the year
Researchers ] The Italians announced this Wednesday, July 25 that for the first time they have evidence of the presence in March of liquid water in addition to salty, in a lake under a sheet of ice thanks to the results of the radar installed in the probe Mars Express of the European Space Agency (ESA, in English).
important finding concludes that in an area called Plamun Australe located in the ice cap of the South Pole of Mars the profile drawn by the radar is very similar to that of the large lakes of Liquid water found under Antarctica and Greenland on Earth
For Alberto González Fairén, of the Center for Astrobiology (CAB), in Madrid, c & Is "the scientific discovery of the year" and the discovery of this liquid water makes it much more possible than life on Mars ", an opinion shared by José Antonio Rodríguez Manfredi, also from CAB:" This increases the possibilities of finding life; previously he was suspected, but there was no empirical evidence . "
For González Fairén, with this discovery and with the find of organic compounds that made the rover Curiosity ] a month ago," we now know that Mars has the basic ingredients that all living things are made of: Liquid Water and Organic Compounds. "
This scientist reported to EFE that, in any case, it could be that what he detected Mars Express is not a lake in the strict sense of being a clean water plan, such as subantarctic lakes, but only saturated sediments of water that is to say very wet sludge .
This, however, would not remove nothing to discover: any interface between particles of rock or soil and liquid water, even tiny drops, is a ideal habitat p our microorganisms .
This is a first result, said a CAB-center researcher from the Higher Council of Scientific Research and National Institute of Aerospace Technology, who noted that "there could be other areas in Mars with underground lakes even more accessible areas for our robots (the poles are places of difficult access ). "
Therefore, the research evidence of life or its debris under the surface "is the next indisputable goal in Mars Exploration ."
In this regard, he explained that the two next rovers to be sent to the red planet by 2020 ( ExoMars of the ESA and March2020 of the Nasa ) share this primary objective: "It is a extraordinary moment in planetary exploration . "
The astronomer and director of the Pamplona Planetarium, Javier Armentia, agreed that it is one of the "relevant" discoveries of March and the year , and stated that the radar Marsis installed on the probe Mars Express gave a confirmation that there is a phenomenon ] that is given in Earth which in the great masses of ice there are lakes .
"The detection with this radar is quite reliable and there is of water at the kilometer and culminate under the ice means that the mechanisms are and then are possible … Can we then give the conditions for life ? Now it is legitimate to ask him, "he added
With information and photos of EFE
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