Real water has finally been found on Mars

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The scientific community is in turmoilfollowing a major revelation about the red planet. After years of speculation and diligent research, researchers have finally provided irrefutable proof of the presence of liquid water on Mars. A discovery of major importance, the result of data collected by NASA's InSight mission. The findings of this study, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, will certainly reignite discussions about the evolution of Mars and its potential to host life forms.

Under the surface: water!

This discovery was made possible by the InSight lander, which touched down on Mars in 2018. Equipped with an ultra-sensitive seismometer, this device patiently recorded the slightest tremors of the planet for four years, capturing more than 1,300 Martian earthquakes. Analyzing these seismic waves allowed scientists to detect signals that indicate the presence of liquid water, located between 10 and 20 km below the surface of Mars.

Professor Michael Manga, a researcher at the University of California at Berkeley involved in this research, explains: “These techniques are actually the same as those we use to prospect for water on Earth, or to search for oil and gas“. This innovative approach has made it possible to locate aquifers buried deep in the Martian crust, thus providing a long-awaited answer to the enigma of the disappearance of water on Mars.

A giant step towards understanding Mars and its secrets

This event is essential for deepening our understanding of the Martian water cycle and the climate evolution of the Red Planet. Previous observations of the Martian surface revealed that rivers and lakes crisscrossed the planet billions of years ago. However, Mars has been metamorphosed into an arid desert for about three billion years, with much of its water remaining ;being evaporated into space following the dissipation of its atmosphere.

Nevertheless, as Professor Manga judiciously points out, on our blue planet, “& ;nbsp;a considerable portion of our water is underground, and there is no reason why the same cannot be said on Mars“.

Scientists estimate that if similar reservoirs were spread across the planet, the volume of liquid water on Mars could be enough to form a layer more than 804 meters thick. This is only if it were uniformly distributed on the surface. However, accessing this water, due to its depth, represents a colossal technological challenge, even for the most audacious projects of Martian colonization envisaged to date. Manga explains, not without a touch of humor, that ” drilling a 10 km deep hole on Mars would be difficult, even for Elon Musk “. Let us recall that the deepest drilling ever carried out by Man on Earth is that of the Sakhalin I Odoptu OP-11 well dug in Russia in 2011. It reached a record depth of 12,345 meters. Doing the same on Mars would be a challenge of a whole other dimension.

• Liquid water has been discovered on Mars, buried between 10 and 20 km below the surface of the planet.
• A revelation made possible by the InSight lander, which has been analyzing Martian seismic activity for years.
• Accessing this water will nevertheless remain a complex undertaking.

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