is there water on the MARS?

Question

Is it true? what is its importance?

Answer 1

The discovery of bright deposits on Mars, announced yesterday by NASA, could indicate that liquid water has recently flowed on a few locations on the planet. The new data help planetary scientists involved with several missions orbiting the Red Planet focus their quest to understand the Martian water cycle.

It has been an established fact for several years now that water exists on Mars. However, the big question is how much of it – if any – is in liquid form. The newly discovered deposits were identified by comparing different images of the same area taken by NASA's Mars Global Surveyor (MOC camera), over a period of few years. The images suggest that water may have flowed there sometime within the past seven years.

This gives planetary scientists an excellent target for follow-up work. Yet, just because water appears to have flowed does not automatically mean that underground reservoirs of liquid water are present.

ESA’s Mars Express has found large reservoirs of water underground using its radar experiment MARSIS. All are frozen, with the largest in Mars's polar regions. Such frozen underground lakes might be driven to temporarily thaw and flow across the surface by changes in temperature, caused by changes in illumination from the Sun or, possibly, by local variations in the underground pressure.

In addition, much water is locked into so-called hydrated minerals that have been found by the OMEGA instrument on ESA's Mars Express.

The new observations demonstrate the crucial need for continuous monitoring of Mars. Only by studying the same areas over and over again will any temporary processes by revealed. In an extremely lucky case, instruments may even catch the water flowing.

Planetary scientists on both sides of the Atlantic will now be focusing their efforts on combing this region for more evidence of water. Scientists responsible for the MARSIS instrument on Mars Express are looking ahead to see when the ESA spacecraft will next bring the region into view.

MARSIS can probe as deeply as 5 kilometres below the surface, and it is complementary to SHARAD, the radar flown on NASA Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO). The latter will be help to detect possible water reservoirs contained in the first kilometre, just below the surface of the discovery area.

In addition, other instruments such as cameras and spectrometers will collect more valuable information about this exciting area on Mars. In this way, scientists will continue to piece together the fascinating behaviour of Mars, both in its past and its present.

Answer 2

Mars has no magnetic field. No protection from the suns violent radiation..."when"...not if, we develope a containment or some sort of material to repel the radiation, technically we could have a good chance to stay on that planet indefinately. Yes, water apparently has been found, however, its no evidence for life, but gives us a glimpse of what may have happened on the planet in the past.
Some have suggested that the "structures" found on Mars may be evidence of an ancient society or beings. IF the "structures" are real...then every piece could very well fall together in the puzzle many have had pieces to, but couldnt put all the way together.The implications of an advanced enough society to build anything at all, is very profound...and would surely put a stick into the spokes of religion. Lest each "world" had its own bible...I think not.
One thing is FOR SURE: When we know for certain, mankind better get used to the thought of "we were never alone".

Life on mars today...prolly not. In the past, its rational to think there "may have been".

Answer 3

If there is water on Mars, it means generally that Mars could sustain life (to some degree or another). If there is life currently there, then this would be overall exciting. The next question is, What kind? How did it get there? Is it the only kind of life? Etc.

It is general information about Mars that interest certain kinds of people. But there is very little value of this in any case. If they end up finding some ancient fossils of algae/moss like life forms, then big whoop. But if they found recent evidence of animals, boy that would start getting interesting.

Several successful travels have been made to Mars of different vehicles for research. Thus, it is possible to get there and these technologies will undoubtedly increase as time goes on. How would you like to be the first person on Mars?

Answer 4

There is thought to be frozen water under the polar dry ice caps. If we are to colonize Mars, water will be important to sustain life. If we somehow can heat up the dry ice at the poles, carbon dioxide will be released and will help to naturally warm the planet possibly melting the ice underneath. At this point, we could introduce massive amounts of plants to the Mars environment, which would produce enough oxygen for human survival.

Answer 5

The tantalizing declaration was made Wednesday by scientists who said photographs from a satellite orbiting the planet show evidence of sediment and debris sliding down gullies cut into the steep banks of Martian craters.

"The observations suggest that liquid water flowed on the surface of Mars during the past decade,"

The discovery excited scientists who hunt for extraterrestrial living organisms. All the ingredients favorable for life on Mars are in place: liquid water and a stable heat source.

And easily accessible deposits of water could be tapped to sustain fuel for human expeditions to the planet.

Scientists have seen ice on Mars before. But now evidence of liquid water oozing to the Martian surface comes from NASA's Mars Global Surveyor, whose camera transmitted pictures of the planet from 1997 until NASA lost contact with the surveyor last month.

Answer 6

Photographs from space suggest that water occasionally flows on the frigid surface of Mars. Scientists believe in ancient Mars was aswash with pools of water. And at present-day Mars' north pole, researchers researchers have spotted evidence of water ice. But they have yet to see liquid water. Scientists decided to retake photos of gullies in a search for evidence of recent water activity.
I hope that's enough.

Answer 7

there can be water on mars but according to latest news from NASA, a photograph of crater on mars was taken in Oct 1999 and there was usual marks on the crater.
but when then took photo of that same crater this year, they found that there were marks of water like liquid running downward toward center of crater and the amount of liquid is supposed to be as in ten swimming pools.(i got this news today on a newspaper and also photograph of that crater).
if water is found on mars, then there could be life on mars because water is the true hint for life to exist on a planet.

Answer 8

I'd say yes there is water on Mars in the form of ice. Without turning this answer into a dissertation let me say the implication are enormous

Answer 9

NASA has only been able to discover traces of water flow. That's all we know for now. There 'could be' water on Mars.
Water is an important resource for life as life on Earth first evolved in water and furthurmore signs the presence of Oxygen, another key to the existence of life.

Answer 10

In the last few days NASA scientists claim they have found evidence that water flowed as recently as a couple hundred years ago implying that it flows today or could. It is significant because we believe water is an absolute requirement for any life form. I don't really agree with that statement but it becomes philisophical from here.