We might be totally wrong about water on Mars
4 years, 5 months ago

We might be totally wrong about water on Mars

Wired  

You’d be forgiven for not noticing it – with everything that’s been going on – but a passionate debate has been raging among astronomers. We’ve long known that Mars has water trapped in its polar ice caps, but the planet also leaves us tantalising clues that water was much more abundant than it is today. Mars’s valley networks are really old – forming about 3.5 to 3.9 billion years ago, so they give us a snapshot of what the planet was like back then. The Global Surveyor carried an instrument called the Mars Orbiter Laser Altimeter that shot infrared laser pulses at the planet in order to measure the precise height of different parts of the planet’s surface. What we don’t know is why exactly Mars’s climate changed in this way – although scientists suspect it could have something to do with the planet losing its magnetic field billions of years ago.

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History of this topic

Mars could have had ancient groundwater system, study reveals big secret
1 week ago

Mars could have had ancient groundwater system, study reveals big secret

India Today  

A new study published in Earth and Planetary Science Letters reveals that variations in Mars’ crustal thickness during its ancient history may have significantly influenced the planet's geological and hydrological evolution. Led by Cin-Ty Lee from Rice University, the research challenges long-held assumptions about the red planet, suggesting that its thick southern highlands crust, which can reach up to 80 …

The significance of liquid water on Mars
1 week, 3 days ago

The significance of liquid water on Mars

Live Mint  

THE APPLICATION of Bayesian inversion to a range of lithologic parameters in an assessment of seismic data hardly seems the stuff of headlines. But when the seismic data you are assessing come from Mars, and when your reasoning suggests that the best explanation for them is liquid water in the pores between rocks, you have a story. Perhaps not much—the …

Indian scientists discover Martian lake that could have supported life
1 month, 1 week ago

Indian scientists discover Martian lake that could have supported life

India Today  

A new study conducted by scientists at the Physical Research Laboratory in Ahmedabad has brought fresh insights into the potential for past life on Mars, specifically in areas where chloride-rich depressions exist. One promising discovery involves the study of a topographic depression within the Terra Sirenum region, which could hold key clues to understanding Mars' wet history. The study’s findings …

Evidence of hot water that’s essential to life points to Mars’ habitable past
1 month, 2 weeks ago

Evidence of hot water that’s essential to life points to Mars’ habitable past

The Independent  

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Researchers have uncovered what may be the oldest direct evidence of …

Did NASA’s Viking ‘kill life’ on Mars? Expert says, ‘It was so much like Earth…’
1 month, 3 weeks ago

Did NASA’s Viking ‘kill life’ on Mars? Expert says, ‘It was so much like Earth…’

Live Mint  

NASA's Viking 1 spacecraft was launched in 1975 to explore the possibility of life on Mars. Dirk Schulze-Makuch, an astrobiologist at the Technische Universität in Germany's Berlin, claimed that the Viking may indeed have discovered life on Mars, but the water-based nature of its life-detection experiments might have unintentionally killed it. “We are water-filled bags, but too much water is …

An ocean’s worth of water may be hiding under Mars’ red dusty surface, study suggests
4 months, 3 weeks ago

An ocean’s worth of water may be hiding under Mars’ red dusty surface, study suggests

LA Times  

Findings in a new study are based on seismic measurements from NASA’s InSight lander, which detected more than 1,300 Mars quakes before shutting down two years ago. The findings released this week are based on seismic measurements from NASA’s Mars InSight lander, which detected more than 1,300 Mars quakes before shutting down two years ago. This water — believed to …

Scientists find evidence for large underground reservoir of water on Mars
4 months, 4 weeks ago

Scientists find evidence for large underground reservoir of water on Mars

The Independent  

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Researchers have found evidence for a large underground reservoir of liquid …

Mars exploration: NASA’s Curiosity searches for new clues about ancient water
9 months, 1 week ago

Mars exploration: NASA’s Curiosity searches for new clues about ancient water

Live Mint  

The presence of water on Mars—Earth’s neighbour —is not an alien concept. However, a recent study by an international team has suggested that the fourth planet of the solar system from the Sun might have retained more water for a longer period than previously thought. As the Curiosity rover of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration has begun exploring a …

The secret history of water on Mars: What ancient climate change tells us about the future on Earth
10 months ago

The secret history of water on Mars: What ancient climate change tells us about the future on Earth

Salon  

If you suddenly found yourself standing on the surface of Mars, it would feel like you’d been transported into a dusty space western. “Whether you’re looking for signs of ancient life, trying to sustain human explorers, or making rocket fuel to get back home to Earth, it’s essential to know where the water would most likely be.” "Understanding groundwater flow …

Scientists reveal how Mars could turned into a terraformed Dune planet for future colonizers
10 months ago

Scientists reveal how Mars could turned into a terraformed Dune planet for future colonizers

Daily Mail  

Researchers may soon pull inspiration from the science-fiction story of Dune to transform Mars into a livable and breathable world for humans. Making the planet inhabitable would require humans to unlock the frozen water in the atmosphere and beneath the planet's surface The sun's radiation has stripped 90 percent of the atmosphere from Mars, zapping the planet of much of …

Mars rover data confirms ancient lake sediments on red planet
11 months, 2 weeks ago

Mars rover data confirms ancient lake sediments on red planet

The Hindu  

NASA's rover Perseverance has gathered data confirming the existence of ancient lake sediments deposited by water that once filled a giant basin on Mars called Jezero Crater, according to a study published on Friday. The findings from ground-penetrating radar observations conducted by the robotic rover substantiate previous orbital imagery and other data leading scientists to theorize that portions of Mars …

Were seasonal climate patterns possible on early Mars?
1 year, 4 months ago

Were seasonal climate patterns possible on early Mars?

The Hindu  

New observations of mud cracks made by the Curiosity Rover show that high-frequency, wet-dry cycling occurred in early Martian surface environments, indicating that the red planet may have once seen seasonal weather patterns or even flash floods. These mud cracks reveal the transitional time when liquid water was less abundant but still active on the Martian surface, a release says. …

China’s Mars rover finds signs of recent water in sand dunes
1 year, 8 months ago

China’s Mars rover finds signs of recent water in sand dunes

Associated Press  

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Water may be more widespread and recent on Mars than previously thought, based on observations of Martian sand dunes by China’s rover. Before Zhurong fell silent, it observed salt-rich dunes with cracks and crusts, which researchers said likely were mixed with melting morning frost or snow as recently as a few hundred thousand years ago. Small …

Mars rover reveals new details about Red Planet’s water history
2 years, 1 month ago

Mars rover reveals new details about Red Planet’s water history

The Independent  

Sign up to our free weekly IndyTech newsletter delivered straight to your inbox Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter Sign up to our free IndyTech newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Scientists have discovered the presence of water-altered minerals and organic compounds on the …

Scientists find new evidence for liquid water on Mars
2 years, 3 months ago

Scientists find new evidence for liquid water on Mars

The Hindu  

An international team of researchers has found new evidence for the possible existence of liquid water beneath the south polar ice cap of Mars. Given the cold climate conditions, liquid water beneath the ice cap would require an additional heat source, such as geothermal heat from within the planet, at levels above those expected for present-day Mars. "The combination of …

Researcher finds first mineral evidence confirming water flowed on Mars longer than previously thought
2 years, 11 months ago

Researcher finds first mineral evidence confirming water flowed on Mars longer than previously thought

India Today  

While rovers trundle on the surface in search of ancient microbial life, the machines hovering above Mars have identified a crucial development in the evolution of the Red Planet. The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has determined that water left salt minerals on the surface as recently as two billion years ago. It has already been determined that the surface of the …

Scientists say new evidence suggests water exists on Mars, with possibility of life
2 years, 11 months ago

Scientists say new evidence suggests water exists on Mars, with possibility of life

ABC  

A team of scientists says it has new evidence that indicates salty, liquid water exists on Mars — bringing us one step closer to discovering life on the Red Planet. Key points: Scientists say they have more evidence that indicates liquid water exists below Mars' southern polar ice caps They say this brings humans one step closer to discovering life …

Mars' landscape was shaped by flooded crater lakes which was a common occurrence: Study
3 years, 3 months ago

Mars' landscape was shaped by flooded crater lakes which was a common occurrence: Study

Firstpost  

Mars has more craters on its surface compared to Earth, meaning that billions of years ago, when the planet was very wet, crater lakes were common. Massive floods from overflowing crater lakes had a huge role in shaping the landscape of Mars, moving vast amounts of sediment and carving deep chasms, according to new research published in the journal Nature. …

Mars' surface shaped by fast, furious floods from overflowing craters
3 years, 3 months ago

Mars' surface shaped by fast, furious floods from overflowing craters

Deccan Chronicle  

Washington: A new study, led by researchers at The University of Texas at Austin, has found that massive floods from overflowing crater lakes had an outsized role in shaping the Martian surface, carving deep chasms and moving vast amounts of sediment. "If we think about how sediment was being moved across the landscape on ancient Mars, lake breach floods were …

Size matters: Mars was 'doomed from beginning' due to its small size to hold water
3 years, 3 months ago

Size matters: Mars was 'doomed from beginning' due to its small size to hold water

India Today  

Mars, the crimson Red Planet was always doomed and headed towards deterioration, not just because of major climatic events, but due to its small size to hold onto large amounts of water. Researchers have long believed that the Red Planet once hosted vast water lakes just like Earth, which is the centre of research for Curiosity and Perseverance rovers trundling …

Mars is 'too small' to retain liquid water, according to a new study
3 years, 3 months ago

Mars is 'too small' to retain liquid water, according to a new study

Daily Mail  

Mars once had flowing liquid water, but is now a dry desert landscape - and this could be because it is too small to retain moisture, according to planetary scientists. About half the size of Earth, Mars is the second smallest planet in the solar system, sitting at the very outer edge of the habitable zone where liquid water 'could …

Water on Mars: Mystery Deepens around Dozens of Underground Lakes on Red Planet
3 years, 6 months ago

Water on Mars: Mystery Deepens around Dozens of Underground Lakes on Red Planet

News 18  

Mars is the closest planet that man-made technology ventured to explore life beyond Earth. About three years ago scientists confirmed that the dusty, dry red ball that is Mars, has lakes filled with liquid water. Researchers from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory examined the data from the European Space Agency’s Mars Express orbiter and observed dozens of radar reflections similar to …

Where did all of Mars' water go? NASA thinks its trapped under its surface
3 years, 9 months ago

Where did all of Mars' water go? NASA thinks its trapped under its surface

Firstpost  

They found that the planet lost most of its water between four to 3.7 billion years ago, Billions of years ago, Mars was home to lakes and oceans — but where all the water went to transform the planet into the desolate rock we know today has been something of a mystery. “We’re saying that the crust forms what we …

Mars' 'missing' water is buried beneath surface, says study
3 years, 9 months ago

Mars' 'missing' water is buried beneath surface, says study

Hindustan Times  

Billions of years ago, Mars was home to lakes and oceans -- but where all the water went to transform the planet into the desolate rock we know today has been something of a mystery. Using observations made by Mars rovers as well as of meteorites from the planet, the team focused on hydrogen, a key component of water. "We're …

Mars Once Had Lakes, Rivers and Climate Mimicking Today's Iceland. So What Went Wrong?
3 years, 11 months ago

Mars Once Had Lakes, Rivers and Climate Mimicking Today's Iceland. So What Went Wrong?

News 18  

Though all our eight planets are wildly different from one another today, some similarities can still be spotted. One such theory being proposed is that a crater on Mars might have been very closely similar to Iceland, 3 billion years ago. “Sedimentary rocks in Gale Crater instead detail a climate that likely falls in between these two scenarios. The ancient …

Most habitable region for life would have been several miles below Martian surface: Scientists
4 years, 1 month ago

Most habitable region for life would have been several miles below Martian surface: Scientists

Firstpost  

Scientists examined Mars datasets to see if heating via geothermal heat would have been possible in that area and found that conditions needed for subsurface melting would have been present on ancient Mars Scientists said that the most habitable region on Mars would have been several miles below the surface of the planet and that life was possible due to …

Potential Life on Mars Likely Existed Several Miles Below Surface of Red Planet, Finds Study
4 years, 1 month ago

Potential Life on Mars Likely Existed Several Miles Below Surface of Red Planet, Finds Study

News 18  

If life ever existed on ancient Mars, it would have lived up to several miles below the surface of the Red Planet, likely due to subsurface melting of thick ice sheets fuelled by geothermal heat, according to a study. “Even if greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide and water vapour are pumped into the early Martian atmosphere in computer simulations, climate …

Potential life on Mars likely lived below the surface: Study
4 years, 1 month ago

Potential life on Mars likely lived below the surface: Study

Hindustan Times  

If life ever existed on ancient Mars, it would have lived up to several miles below the surface of the Red Planet, likely due to subsurface melting of thick ice sheets fuelled by geothermal heat, according to a study. Even if Mars had a warm and wet climate 4 billion years ago, with the loss of the magnetic field, atmospheric …

Data from NASA's Curiosity Rover Hints at Ancient Megaflood in Mars: Study
4 years, 1 month ago

Data from NASA's Curiosity Rover Hints at Ancient Megaflood in Mars: Study

News 18  

Giant flash floods once washed through Gale Crater on Mars’ equator around four billion years ago, according to a study which hints at the possibility that life may have existed on the Red Planet. The research, published recently in the journal Scientific Reports, assessed data collected by NASA’s Curiosity rover — launched in November 2011 — and found that ”gigantic …

Mars was capable of sustaining life, has traces of gigantic flash floods on Gale crater, finds study
4 years, 1 month ago

Mars was capable of sustaining life, has traces of gigantic flash floods on Gale crater, finds study

India Today  

A new study at Scientific Reports has suggested that Mars was capable of sustaining life a long time ago. The findings on the gigantic flash floods on Mars' Gale crater were ascertained detailed sedimentological data observed by Nasa's Curiosity rover which was launched in November 2011. "We identified megafloods for the first time using detailed sedimentological data observed by the …

Mineral Composition of Meteorite Suggests Water Was Formed 4.4 Billion Years Ago on Mars
4 years, 2 months ago

Mineral Composition of Meteorite Suggests Water Was Formed 4.4 Billion Years Ago on Mars

News 18  

After analysing an ancient Martian meteorite, a team of Japanese researchers has revealed that water on the Red Planet originated some 4.4 billion years ago. But from the mineral composition of the meteorite, Mikouchi and his team revealed that it is likely there was water present much earlier, at around 4.4 billion years ago. This oxidation could have occurred if …

Water on Mars: Researchers discover 3 buried lakes on red planet
4 years, 3 months ago

Water on Mars: Researchers discover 3 buried lakes on red planet

India Today  

Researchers have detected the presence of three more lakes, besides one large reservoir discovered two years ago, buried under the icy surface of the red planet, Mars. According to a paper published in Nature Astronomy on Monday, researchers have confirmed the presence of one saltwater lake, which was discovered by planetary scientists two years ago, and also found three more …

Evidence of ancient rivers spotted on Mars, study says
4 years, 8 months ago

Evidence of ancient rivers spotted on Mars, study says

CNN  

CNN — Researchers are “reading the rocks” and the history they show on Mars to paint a picture of when the planet supported liquid water on its surface billions of years ago. New highly detailed images and data of exposed cliffs on Mars reveal the first evidence of rivers that existed for more than 100,000 years on the Martian surface …

Meteorites reveal that Martian water came from different sources
4 years, 9 months ago

Meteorites reveal that Martian water came from different sources

CNN  

CNN — One of the biggest mysteries in piecing together the story of Mars’ past is a key question: Where did the water come from? The Black Beauty and Allan Hills meteorites suggested two different sources of water on Mars, based on their isotopes. “These two different sources of water in Mars’ interior might be telling us something about the …

Could life have existed on a warm, wet Mars? Ancient Earth crater may explain how
4 years, 10 months ago

Could life have existed on a warm, wet Mars? Ancient Earth crater may explain how

CNN  

CNN — While it’s not possible to go back in time and see if Mars truly was habitable billions of years ago, scientists are investigating the next best possibility: ancient meteorite impact sites on Earth. “Overwhelming evidence exists that Mars had liquid water oceans roughly 4 billion years ago,” said Tim Lyons, University of California, Riverside distinguished professor of biogeochemistry …

Mars could be losing water from its atmosphere at a faster rate than anyone predicted
4 years, 11 months ago

Mars could be losing water from its atmosphere at a faster rate than anyone predicted

Firstpost  

Mars appears to be losing was from its surface at a much faster rate than scientists anticipated from past observations. The slowly-disappearing water makes up part of the upper atmosphere of Mars, where sunlight causes water molecules to split apart, forming atomic hydrogen and oxygen that the weak gravity of Mars cannot prevent from escaping into space. An international team …

Mars, already largely desert, is losing water quicker than expected, study says
5 years ago

Mars, already largely desert, is losing water quicker than expected, study says

CNN  

CNN — Once, Mars was a warm planet that could potentially support life and water on its surface. A new study published this week in the journal Science reveals that more water vapor is accumulating in the upper atmosphere of Mars, allowing more of it to escape into space. Data from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and the Mars Odyssey Orbiter …

Water found an inch beneath the Martian surface could help Marstronauts
5 years ago

Water found an inch beneath the Martian surface could help Marstronauts

CNN  

CNN — When the first astronauts land on Mars, they won’t be able to take everything they need with them. A new study published this week in the journal Geophysical Research Letters shows a map of water ice that could be just an inch beneath the dusty surface. Data from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and the Mars Odyssey Orbiter have …

Life on Mars: What we now know (and still don’t know)
5 years, 1 month ago

Life on Mars: What we now know (and still don’t know)

CNN  

CNN — For decades, space was the final frontier. “Mars is a planet that started with all the same raw materials as Earth, but along the way has suffered changes,” said the European Space Agency’s Director of Human and Robotic Exploration, David Parker. “You could say it’s kind of broken down.” Because it was once Earth’s sister planet, Parker said …

Mars once had salt lakes similar to those on Earth: Study
5 years, 2 months ago

Mars once had salt lakes similar to those on Earth: Study

India TV News  

Mars once had salt lakes that went through wet and dry phases similar to those on the Earth, according to a study which indicates that the red planet's climate 'dried out' over a long time. The study, published in the journal Nature Geoscience, noted that over 3 billion years ago the lake that was present in Gale Crater -- an …

Life may have existed on warm, rainy, ancient Mars before winter came
5 years, 4 months ago

Life may have existed on warm, rainy, ancient Mars before winter came

CNN  

CNN — Although Mars seems cold and inhospitable today, it was a different story 3 billion to 4 billion years ago. A new study suggests that the Red Planet was once warm enough to host pouring rainstorms and flowing water, which would have created an environment that could support simple life. The new study includes a comparison of mineral deposit …

Water on Mars: Massive water reservoir in the form of ice layers found on Red Planet
5 years, 7 months ago

Water on Mars: Massive water reservoir in the form of ice layers found on Red Planet

India Today  

Scientists have discovered one of the largest water reservoirs on Mars, in the form of ice layers buried over a kilometre beneath the surface, a finding that may reveal whether the Red Planet was habitable in the past. That likely makes it the third largest water reservoir on Mars after the polar ice caps," said Stefano Nerozzi, a graduate research …

Mars still has active deep groundwater: Scientists
5 years, 9 months ago

Mars still has active deep groundwater: Scientists

India TV News  

Deep groundwater could still be active on Mars and be the origin of surface streams in some near-equatorial areas of the "Red Planet", researchers suggest. The researchers at University of Southern California have determined that groundwater likely exists in a broader geographical area than just the poles of Mars and contended that there is an active system, as deep as …

Mars had big rivers for billions of years: Study
5 years, 9 months ago

Mars had big rivers for billions of years: Study

India TV News  

Mars' rivers flowed intensely and may have persisted as recently as one billion years ago, reveals a survey that found that the red planet's rivers were wider than those on Earth today. The study by scientists at the University of Chicago catalogued these rivers and found that significant river runoff persisted on Mars later into its history than previously thought. …

Billions of years ago Mars had big, wide, intense rivers
5 years, 9 months ago

Billions of years ago Mars had big, wide, intense rivers

India Today  

Mars's rivers flowed intensely and may have persisted as recently as one billion years ago, a survey that found that the Red Planet's rivers were wider than those on Earth today, revealed. The study by scientists at the University of Chicago catalogued these rivers and found that significant river runoff persisted on Mars later into its history than previously thought. …

Photos reveal the recent rivers that ran across Mars
5 years, 9 months ago

Photos reveal the recent rivers that ran across Mars

CNN  

CNN — Mars may seem inhospitably dry now, but NASA’s rovers have shown that water was once abundant on the Red Planet. Photos gathered during NASA’s missions orbiting Mars have revealed that the planet was once home to raging rivers – and that those rivers existed more recently than previously thought, according to a new study. “It’s already hard to …

Mars orbiter finds first evidence of ancient groundwater system on Red Planet, say scientists
5 years, 10 months ago

Mars orbiter finds first evidence of ancient groundwater system on Red Planet, say scientists

India TV News  

Scientists say they have found the first geological evidence of a system of ancient interconnected lakes that once lay deep beneath the surface of Mars, five of which may contain minerals essential for life. According to researchers from Utrecht University in the Netherlands, Mars appears to be an arid world, but its surface shows compelling signs that large amounts of …

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