Source: NASA.
In a galaxy not as far away… but with a planet closer than we’d think.
Water has been found on our favorite red planet, Mars. Scientists decided to take a look at old data from a NASA spacecraft orbiting Mars, and found what appears to be ice near the equator.
Finding water based substances on Mars isn’t all that new. As a matter of fact NASA had discovered water on the big red planet back in 2015. The main thing separating these two is that when it was cold enough the water would freeze into ice. But when it reached a certain temperature the water melted back into water. Unlike now how only ice alone was discovered near the equator of Mars.
The discovery came as a shock to everyone. Mainly because everyone thought Mars to be a dry planet. But it was predicted that one day it could contain life, it seems that Mars just keeps throwing surprises at us. The water was found in the region called Medusae Fossae, that lays deep within the planet.
They had later discovered that the rest of the equator remained low in water. But there were two parts that did have high concentration that was up to 40 percent in weight. Perhaps the most shocking part of this is, the equator was believed to be too warm to hold any ice at all, without it being melted.
Just like Rocky, it managed to surprise everyone and beat the odds. No one really knows how long this ice has been there. Some scientists predict thousands, some say millions. Even though we don’t know how long the ice has been there, that shouldn’t stray us away from this marvel. Experts predict that it may of been some of the soil that helped preserve the ice. Or the ice had heavily hydrated minerals surrounding it, to help keep it protected, and from releasing water of its course of time.
But regardless of how long the ice has been there, it’s an important find on behalf of Mars. And it’s discovery will continue to aid us in further findings. Whether we find it in forms of ice or heavy hydrated minerals, it serves multiple servers. Not only can it be used to drink, but it can also be used as fuel to get astronauts back to earth!
Are you ready to visit Mars? Let Nerdbot know in the comments!
