detected Dark streaks on the slopes of craters on Mars are so far the strongest evidence that liquid water exists today intermittently flowing on Mars. (See chart: Liquid Water on Mars: possibility of life)
The suspicion has always existed. Not only because some 4,500 million years ago the ocean covered 19 percent of the planet, but by the same desire of mankind to be so.
Yesterday, NASA released the results of research that suggests that striations on hills and canyons of Martian soil, which seem the paths of rivers on Earth are the result of a seasonal cycle of liquid water.
“When most people talk about water on Mars, usually it refers to ancient water or frozen water. Now we know there is more to this story. This is the first spectral detection unequivocally supports our hypothesis formation of liquid water, “said Lujendra Ojha, the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta and author of a report on these findings published in the journal Nature Geoscience.
Ojha first saw those mysterious lines obscuring the Martian slopes five years ago, so the new findings, he says, are water today. His work was based on images taken by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), a probe that has examined Mars since 2006 with six instruments.
“The instrument made the discovery in infrared. It is that what we are looking at is the infrared light that comes on the Martian canyons and slopes and bouncing to give us information about the material and the chemical composition thereof. What is missing is now confirmed, it is not enough to have detected those signals in a studio, “explains Santiago Vargas, research professor at the Astronomical Observatory of the National University.
David Tovar, codirector Group Titan Planetary Science and Astrobiology, National University, says the support of research is found that the flows are the product of a sequence of pictures at different times of the Martian year, where temperature variations caused changes the physical state of the water. So it will go from solid to liquid.
But there is water like rivers on our planet. Vargas says that was detected on Mars is -23 degrees Celsius, five times colder than the fridge freezer. “So water can flow at that temperature, because it is below freezing (which is 0 degrees), salts fall that point are required,” he says.
Tovar explained that these salts are known as perchlorates, they are highly polluting chemicals -make the water unfit for consumption-and abundant on Mars, which effectively lower the freezing point. It is similar to what causes salt to be put on the snow in winter time to avoid the streets are covered in this effect.
Possibility of life?
While the desire to search for liquid water outside our planet is directly related to the possibility of life, this finding does not ensure that it exists on Mars. “We are not finding life is a first step to encourage us to continue to explore what causes this water, where else is there, then do deeper to focus on the chances of finding microbial life that can survive in the aqueous environment studies,” he added Vargas.
But neither is discarded. Jorge Bueno, director of the Astrobiology Institute of Colombia, said that this discovery would Mars as a potentially habitable planet. “In terms of chemistry, adaptive process that the ‘bodies’ have is corroborated. And from astrobiology, I would say that if it is very salty water could think of halophilic organisms living in environments with high salt, “says the expert.
To Tovar The research provides evidence that Mars may have microbial life. “But this is not a biomarker. For this, a testament to an organization with active or that it has had in the past metabolism is needed, “he insists.
The future space missions designed around 2030 to put man Mars would benefit from confirmed this thesis. Vargas said that would solve one of the problems that long mission, which is to supply liquid to the crew.
The world celebrates this development, because, as said Michael Meyer, chief scientist the Mars Exploration Program at NASA, “solve this mystery involved sending multiple spacecraft for several years. We now know that there is liquid water on the surface of this cold desert planet. “
Nicolas Gutierrez Congote
TIME
Editor Write to niccon @ eltiempo. com
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