Evidence of possible flowing water on Mars found by NASA’s Orbiters
Written by
Staff Reporter
Published on February 11, 2014
NASA's Mars-orbiting spacecraft and found the "strongest indication" that liquid water may exist today on the Red Planet.
Images sent back from the spacecraft show dark, finger-like markings, called "recurring slope lineae" (RSL), that flow down some slopes on the Martian surface when temperatures rise. New corroborating information includes seasonal changes in iron minerals on the same slopes and a survey of ground temperatures and other traits at active sites.
This information suggests that there may be seasonal flows of brines with an iron-mineral antifreeze, such as ferric sulfate.
Lujendra Ojha, a graduate student at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, and lead author of two new reports about these flows said:
"We still don't have a smoking gun for existence of water in RSL, although we're not sure how this process would take place without water"
More:
http://descrier.co.uk/science/2014/0...nasas-orbiters