NASA scientists working with Curiosity have announced that water supply did indeed flow on Mars at one spot in its history — and we ’re not sing trickles . A new discovered ancient streambed indicates that the water ran tight and deep , maybe as much as hip deep . The find marks a precedent setting accomplishment for the lander , one that will add serious credibleness to the suggestion that Mars was once subject of harboring lifespan .
artificial satellite - based images had paint a picture that rivers once flowed on Mars , but this discovery offers near - definitive proof that water was once a major geological fixture of the Red Planet .
leftover of the now dried - up stream were rule inside the Gale Crater within which Curiosity is working . validation of hunt down water came in the form of rounded pebble and crushed rock fragment that could have only been weathered by impregnable currents . Their shape and preference suggests long - distance transportation from above the flange of the volcanic crater , where a duct nominate Peace Vallis feeds into the alluvial sports fan . And because there are many channels like this , the NASA scientist think the flow were continuous or repeated for long durations , and not just once or twice for a few old age .
“ From the sizing of gravels it carried , we can construe the water was moving about 3 feet per second , with a depth somewhere between ankle and pelvis deep , ” observe Curiosity scientist William Dietrich talk through NASA ’s officialrelease . “ Plenty of newspaper have been written about channels on Mars with many different surmisal about the flow in them . This is the first clock time we ’re actually check water - transported crushed rock on Mars . This is a transition from speculation about the sizing of streambed stuff to direct watching of it . ”
But Curiosity ’s work on the streambed wo n’t stop there . The robotic geologist is scheduled to conduct a chemical psychoanalysis of the rocks to limit its elementary theme . It ’s hoped that the analysis will reveal more characteristics of the previously wet surround that spring these deposits .
And in addition to that , Curiosity will retain to make its way to the slope of Mount Sharp , where it ’s expect to study clay and sulfate minerals — repository that may be good flotation gadget of carbon - based constitutional chemical substance that are possible factor for lifetime .
But now , given that a river once flowed through the orbit , Curiosity ’s ongoing commission to search for signs of late habitableness has suddenly become all the more bright .
germ and image : NASA JPL .
MarsScienceWater on Mars
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