Nasa scientists find evidence of flowing water on Mars

[imatfaal]

http://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/sep/28/nasa-scientists-find-evidence-flowing-water-mars

 

Not checked for hype, inconsistencies, and over-inflated journalism yet - only checked to make sure it isn't April Fools Day (it isnt)

 

Liquid water runs down canyons and crater walls over the summer months onMars, according to researchers who say the discovery raises the odds of the planet being home to some form of life.

The trickles leave long, dark stains on the Martian terrain that can reach hundreds of metres downhill in the warmer months, before they dry up in the autumn as surface temperatures drop.

Images taken from the Mars orbit show cliffs, and the steep walls of valleys and craters, streaked with summertime flows that in the most active spots combine to form intricate fan-like patterns.

http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html

 

http://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-to-announce-mars-mystery-solved

[derek w]

What happens to the water after it has run down these slopes?

[michel123456]

As for finding life, I remember J. Lovelock with his Gaia hypothesis claiming that it suffices to examine the atmosphere of a planet in order to know whether there is life or not.

[Strange]

As for finding life, I remember J. Lovelock with his Gaia hypothesis claiming that it suffices to examine the atmosphere of a planet in order to know whether there is life or not.

 

Apparently he was wrong about that as well.

[Unity+]

It would be interesting if we were able to implement elements of life, i.e. reduce the salt content of the water and stabilize the atmosphere, and life would start growing all on its own. It would take a long time, but if that happened then we could get a gist of what it used to look like.

[the1truelegend]

This is a huge discovery because where there is water, there's a great chance there will be life. I'm hoping in the next decade that the manned missions to Mars can confirm this. I'd love to see life on another planet in my lifetime.

 

The one thing I'm really worried about is that NASA will need to prove that they can send a clean crew and spacecraft so that they don't contaminate Mars. This is something they'll need to overcome due to International Space laws which I had no idea existed.

 

For those who don't know, I'll just take a quote from an article I read : "there are restrictions on how close NASA can currently get to the water, even if we made it to Mars. International space law protects planets from Earth contamination, especially where water is involved."

 

And I thought space laws only existed in Star Trek. : )

 

Source: 7 things to know about the discovery of water on Mars