Liquid Water on Mars
This thought-provoking cartoon contrasts the excitement over discovering water on Mars with the ongoing water scarcity on Earth. On one side, a scientist jubilantly celebrates finding water on Mars, holding up a small vial of it. On the other side, a desperate figure on Earth reaches out for water, struggling in a parched, drought-stricken landscape. The image highlights the irony of humanity’s focus on space exploration while neglecting the pressing environmental issues at home. It serves as a powerful commentary on the need to address our planet’s urgent crises before looking beyond it.
NASA Confirms Evidence That Liquid Water Flows on Today’s Mars
New findings from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) provide the strongest evidence yet that liquid water flows intermittently on present-day Mars.
Using an imaging spectrometer on MRO, researchers detected signatures of hydrated minerals on slopes where mysterious streaks are seen on the Red Planet. These darkish streaks appear to ebb and flow over time. They darken and appear to flow down steep slopes during warm seasons, and then fade in cooler seasons. They appear in several locations on Mars when temperatures are above minus 10 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 23 Celsius), and disappear at colder times.
“Our quest on Mars has been to ‘follow the water,’ in our search for life in the universe, and now we have convincing science that validates what we’ve long suspected,” said John Grunsfeld, astronaut and associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. “This is a significant development, as it appears to confirm that water — albeit briny — is flowing today on the surface of Mars.”
