After studying data gathered by the NASA Mars Reconnaissance
Orbiter, scientists are confident that the Red Planet once contained lakes,
deltas, flowing rivers, and other damp environments that were capable of
sustaining life. The latest discovery was published in Nature.
Led by Brown University geologist John Mustard, who helped co-author a paper
published in Nature, Mustard said
there was water flowing on Mars for the first 600 to 700 million years of the
planet's existence. The wet conditions likely were present on Mars for
much of the planet's history, said scientists who are now able to provide
stronger evidence to support their theories.
Specifically, the Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM)
aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter was able to make the discovery after analyzing
as many as 500 colors in the reflected sunlight off the Martian surface.
The discovery was made in large clay mineral rock deposits that were likely
created by flowing water and large bodies of water, scientists said.
This clay, called phyllosilicates, were first discovered by French researchers
in 2005, and since then, researchers have been anxious to have another shot at
learning more about the interesting material found in craters, delta
formations, dunes, and valleys. The water on Mars seems to have vanished
quickly, but researchers still are not entirely sure what caused it to
disappear so quickly.
With the help of satellites, rovers, and landers, researchers have been able to
slowly piece together a clearer image of the makeup of Mars. The Mars
Phoenix Lander recently discovered ice crumbs after creating a small valley in
the surface of the Martian surface. Even though the possibility of water
is nothing new, the discovery by CRISM shocked researchers because of how long
lasting the water on Mars seems to be.
"The
water was not only there, but it was there abundantly and remained long enough
to affect the mineralogy of the planet," Browns University researcher
Scott Murchie told the San Francisco Chronicle recently. The water could
have been there the same time water was on Earth, "when the first living
organisms emerged and left their fossils that we find today."
Space nations have put a higher emphasis into studying the Red Planet, hoping
to one day launch manned missions to Mars.
All of the recent research makes it more possible that life existed at some
point on Mars, although researchers still do not believe they will be able to
find living material on the Martian surface.