As a seasoned gamer who has spent countless hours exploring alien worlds in video games like Mass Effect and No Man’s Sky, this news about water oceans under Mars’ mid-crust feels like a real-life version of those virtual adventures. It’s exciting to think that the next big discovery could be proof of life on Mars, just like we hunt for in our games!
There’s a chance that Martian life might have thrived in the past. And it’s not impossible that as-yet unexplored regions of Mars are still harboring life today.
As I, an avid gamer, embark on a quest reminiscent of Harry Vanderspeigle from ‘Resident Alien’ (now streaming on Peacock), astronomers and explorers have just found a fresh lead in their search for extraterrestrial life. Scientists have uncovered signs of underwater oceans hidden within Mars’ mid-crust, offering a tantalizing new destination to explore!
The findings were published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and based on data from NASA’s now-retired InSight lander. The research is revealing new information about the Martian water cycle and may inform future missions to the Red Planet.
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NASA’s InSight Lander Finds Oceans of Water Underground on Mars
The Mars InSight spacecraft, an abbreviation for Interior Exploration using Seismic Investigations, Geodesy and Heat Transport, took off from Earth on May 5, 2018, and safely touched down at Elysium Planitia, Mars on November 26, 2018. Its purpose is to aid scientists in deciphering the mechanisms responsible for the formation of rocky planets by monitoring seismic activity on Mars.
On Mars’ rusty surface, InSight transported two scientific tools: a temperature-measuring device called a heat probe, intended for subterranean readings, and a seismograph to detect Mars’ quakes, or “marsquakes.” Unfortunately, the soil at the landing site turned out to be unlike anticipated, making it impossible for the heat probe to reach the required depth. However, the seismograph continued to record marsquakes for quite some time before the mission concluded.
By December 2022, NASA declared that the mission had concluded as Martian soil amassed on the solar panels, causing a deficit in energy for the lander. Almost two years following InSight’s demise, researchers are still scrutinizing the data it gathered and discovering fresh insights about Mars.
Where Did All of Mars’ Water Go?
3 billion years ago, Mars appears to have closely resembled Earth. Back then, signs of ancient rivers, lakes, and seas could be found sprawled across its terrain. However, as time passed, it seems all the surface water has either frozen at the poles or disappeared entirely. Given Mars’ lighter gravity, scientists believe that its atmosphere couldn’t retain enough to prevent water from escaping into space.
Recent findings from the Mars InSight mission indicate that a significant amount of Mars’ water may have been preserved within its mid-crust, concealed in cracks and crevices. Similar to Earth-based seismometers, InSight’s seismometer detected marsquakes across the planet, allowing scientists to analyze seismic waves and deduce the density and composition of Mars’ subterranean regions. This data suggests the presence of fractured igneous rocks saturated with liquid water, implying that there could be enough water beneath Mars’ surface to form an ocean a mile deep if spread evenly over the planet.
For water to endure, there needs to be adequate temperature and pressure to maintain its liquid state and facilitate a water cycle. If this condition is met, and if life ever existed on Mars, it could still exist today in subsurface pockets of habitable environments. Discovering this water will be tough for any future Martian explorers or robotic expeditions, as the data suggests it’s hidden between 7 to 12 miles (approximately 11 to 19 kilometers) beneath the surface.
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2024-08-15 22:31