For the first time, the European Mars probe "Mars Express" discovered large amounts of liquid water on Mars. This discovery was made by the Italian researcher Roberto Orosei from the National Institute of Astrophysics in Bologna. This discovery is a small sensation because such a large amount of liquid water has ever been discovered on Mars before.
Copyright: NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems; public domain
Underground lake discovered
Radar measurements out of the red planet's orbit have revealed radar signatures pointing to an underground glacial lake, such as Lake Vostok in the Antarctic. It is known that there is water on Mars. However, this is present as ice in the large polar ice caps or as water vapor in the thin atmosphere. Small amounts of liquid water could be found on the surface of the Mars lander "Phoenix". It was the water vapor condensed during the night of Mars, from the atmosphere that formed tiny droplets.
The subterranean lake stretches over nearly 20 km and is located at a depth of about 1.5 km under the ice of the Martian South Pole. Its thickness could not be specified but must be at least 10cm so that the reflected radar waves give this signature.
The water temperature is estimated to be at -68 degrees Celsius. Since this temperature is far too low to allow liquid water, it is believed that it is extremely salty, which puts the freezing point down. The high pressure under the 1.5 km thick layer of ice also affects to the freezing point and sets it down.
Copyright: NASA/JPL/MSSS; public domain
Is there life on Mars?
Until now, Life has not yet been found on Mars. Basically, there are life forms that can exist under such conditions. But in order to answer the question, the water from the lake would have to be analyzed. But it is considered unlikely to find life there.
It remains very exciting which further insights we can gain over our red neighbors in the next few years. It also remains exciting how the plans of a manned journey to Mars or the colonization of Mars develop.
References:
https://www.welt.de/wissenschaft/article179961990/Mars-Forscher-entdecken-einen-See-mit-fluessigem-Wasser.html
https://www.mdr.de/wissen/faszination-technik/mars-unterirdischer-see-fluessiges-wasser-100.html
Thank you very much for visiting and reading!
I hope that this has been a useful article for you. If you have any questions or suggestions, please don't be afraid to let me know of anything you thought about this post!
Yours,
@astrophoto.kevin
All images, otherwise clearly indicated, in this post are my own work.
You can use it for free if you credit them to @astrophoto.kevin
As ever a very nice post from you Kevin! You do this on every high level. Best Regards!
Thank you very much David :-)
Greetings
to the Moon...ops, to Mars :)
Haha... yes, you're right :-D
Hi Kevin, this is super exciting news indeed. To find a large body of underground water raises the possibility of life forms that can survive in those conditions.
I can see that we will be going to Mars in the near future. We just need a faster transit system and better radiation shielding.
A 3 year round trip is probably to long for most people?
You're right, this is some great news. Finding liquid water increases the chances of extraterrestrial life tremendously.
A journey of 3 years is still too long in dangerous space. The time needs to be decreased dramatically, to reduce the hazards.
Hi @astrophoto.kevin!
Your post was upvoted by utopian.io in cooperation with steemstem - supporting knowledge, innovation and technological advancement on the Steem Blockchain.
Contribute to Open Source with utopian.io
Learn how to contribute on our website and join the new open source economy.
Want to chat? Join the Utopian Community on Discord https://discord.gg/h52nFrV