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“One of the most exciting results of the first sample seen by Curiosity is the high percentage of water in the Martian soil, which is 2%,” said Laurie Leshin, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, in the state of New York, co-author of papers published online Thursday in the journal Science.
The sample-which was heated up to 835 degrees Celsius, also showed significant proportions of carbon dioxide (CO2), oxygen and sulfur compounds, but the water was the most abundant gaseous element, the scientist said.
According Leshin, it could take about a liter of water of 0.03 cubic meters of sand Martian, “which is a lot.”
“So far Mars was seen, except in the polar regions-as a very dry desert, and even a water is considerably lower than that found in terrestrial soil sample, is substantial and an important resource” for future explorers of Mars, told AFP.
“Now we know that there must be abundant and easily accessible water on Mars,” Leshin said. “Probably you can find on the surface under your feet if you’re an astronaut,” he said.
Plenty of water on Mars
Leshin said the sample analyzed by Curiosity surely can be found elsewhere on Mars, since the whole planet is covered by a thin layer of soil.
“Mars is covered by a kind of sand that is mixed and moves around the globe because of the frequent dust storms, so that a sample of this soil is like having a collection of all microscopic Martian rocks … and a good idea of ??the entire surface of Mars, “he said.
There is plenty of water on Mars in the form of ice in the polar regions. In 2003, the European probe Mars Express in orbit around this planet, had confirmed the presence of water ice in the south polar cap. Soon after he discovered the presence of permafrost around the north pole that stretched hundreds of square miles.
addition to the analyzes of gas in the Martian soil, four investigations conducted with the other instruments available to the Curiosity were also published on Thursday in Science. These have led to progress in understanding the nature and structure of the Martian sun, and the role of water.
After arriving at Gale Crater on Mars Ecuador on August 6, 2012, Curiosity, the six-wheeled rover most sophisticated ever sent to another planet determined that the Red Planet had been favorable for microbial life on a long distant past, which was the main objective of his mission in two years.
A study published last week ended the hopes of finding traces of life on Mars today, indicating that Curiosity had found no trace of methane in the atmosphere.
recent weeks, the robot resumed its route to Mount Sharp, eight kilometers and main exploration target of the mission. Their journey will take months, taking into account that Curiosity will stop on the way to analyze geological formations considered interesting.
foot of Mount Sharp is very attractive for their different sedimentary layers, which could allow dating the periods during which Mars was suitable for life.
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