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NASA Discovers Salty Liquid Water Flows Intermittently on Mars Today, Bolstering Chance for Life
These dark, narrow, 100 meter-long streaks called recurring slope lineae flowing downhill on Mars are inferred to have been formed by contemporary flowing water. Recently, planetary scientists detected hydrated salts on these slopes at Hale crater, corroborating their original hypothesis that the streaks are indeed formed by liquid water. The blue color seen upslope of the dark streaks are thought not to be related to their formation, but instead are from the presence of the mineral pyroxene. The image is produced by draping an orthorectified (Infrared-Red-Blue/Green(IRB)) false color image (ESP_030570_1440) on a Digital Terrain Model (DTM) of the same site produced by High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (University of Arizona). Vertical exaggeration is 1.5. Credits: NASA/JPL/University of Arizona
NASA and Mars planetary scientists announced today (Sept. 28) that salty “liquid water flows intermittently” across multiple spots on the surface of today’s Mars – trumpeting a major scientific discovery with far reaching implications for the search for life beyond Earth and bolstering the chances for the possible existence of present day Martian microbes.
Utilizing spectroscopic measurements and imaging gathered by NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), researchers found the first strong evidence confirming that briny water flows on the Red Planet today. (…)
Read the rest of NASA Discovers Salty Liquid Water Flows Intermittently on Mars Today, Bolstering Chance for Life (950 words)
© Ken Kremer for Universe Today, 2015. | Permalink | No comment |
Post tags: CRISM, Hale crater, High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE), Liquid water on Mars, Mars, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), mars red planet, MRO, NASA, perchlorates, red planet, Search for Life, Water on Mars
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Source: http://www.universetoday.com/122522/nasa-discovers-salty-liquid-water-flows-intermittently-on-mars-today-bolstering-chance-for-life/
