Scientists: Mars once 'drenched' with water

WorldNetDaily.com ^ | Wednesday, March 3, 2004

[JohnHuang2]

© 2004 WorldNetDaily.com

NASA scientists announced today that based on data collected from the rover Opportunity they have determined part of Mars once was "drenched" with water.

While they say the Red Planet was once wet enough to support life, the rover has not found any evidence of living organisms.

"Opportunity has landed in an area of Mars where liquid water once drenched the surface," said Edward Weiler, associate NASA administrator for space science, at a news conference. "This area would have been a good, habitable environment."

The rover's study of layered rock detected evidence of sulfates and other minerals that form in the presence of water. Scientists assert that at the time the rocks were formed, the water would have provided the living conditions needed for an organism to flourish.

"NASA launched the Mars Exploration Rover mission specifically to check whether at least one part of Mars had a persistently wet environment that could possibly have been hospitable to life," James Garvin, a lead NASA scientist, said in a statement. "Today we have strong evidence for an exciting answer: Yes."

Said Steve Squyres, a Cornell University scientist who is involved in Opportunity's research: "We've been able to read the telltale clues the water left behind, giving us confidence in that conclusion."

The Associated Press reports the rover conducted a chemical analysis of the outcrop, including a rock named El Capitan by scientists, and found a concentration of sulphur rich in magnesium, iron and other sulfate salts. Opportunity's instrument also detected jarosite, an iron sulfate mineral.

On Earth, such minerals would have formed in water, and the presence of jarosite suggests an acid-rich lake or hot springs environment, scientists said.

Scientists said more study of the rocks on Mars is planned.

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[Doe Eyes]

any interesting theories about how all that much water could be extant in the past, but not present now?

The planet's core has cooled and the water is absorbed. The same thing would happen on earth, except the still hot core boils the water back out.

[VRWC_minion]

The Bible says that Gen 7:11 "on that day all the fountains of teh great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened."

Maybe the flood was a bit more than local. Could this area of the world been flooded by an external source ?

[Iberian]

All my relatives in the Congo are very happy about this water find.

[RightWhale]

Mars would present conditions near the triple point of water. Under the surface, sealed from the partial vacuum they laughingly call an atmosphere, ice would be present and would sublimate off only where the ice were exposed by erosion of the surface. They are searching for geysers and hot springs using remote sensing from orbit right now.

[cynicom]

Robert Zubrin does not agree with you.

[nightdriver]

"Under the surface, sealed from the partial vacuum they laughingly call an atmosphere, ice would be present and would sublimate off only where the ice were exposed by erosion of the surface."

Subsurface water is a possibility, but that doesn't lend much credence to all that raging, copious flow of water that the NASA types are proposing.

After all, remember "polywater?" It was found in the tiny interstitial faults in the quartz moonrocks. Water like that may be found on Mars, but it will most likely be of many orders of magnitude less in quantity than the raging torrents imagined by these guys from NASA.

[RightWhale]

Here in central Alaska it is semi-arid. It would be a desert except that the ground is frozen. The ground on Mars has a lot of the same look, so if they find permafrost there it wouldn't be a surprise. When they drill down they might expect to find ice, and it would probably be reasonably pure and free of mineral contaminants, not brine. Ice tends to work out contaminants, purifies itself.