Water on Mars "pervasive and long-lasting"
Posted: Thu, Jul 17, 2008, 6:09 AM ET (1009 GMT)
Analysis of data from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) have led scientists to conclude that liquid water on early Mars was commonplace and lasted for at least thousands of years. In a paper published in the latest issue of the journal Nature, scientists tracked the presence of clay-like minerals, phyllosilicates, which form only in the presence of water, using an imaging spectrometer instrument on MRO. The team found phyllosilicates in "vast regions" of the ancient highlands of the planet, indicating that liquid water was relatively common early in the planet's history. A related study, published in a companion journal last month, found a complex distribution of these clays in a crater that appears to have been an ancient lakebed; that distribution indicates that water must have been there for thousands of years.
Analysis of data from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) have led scientists to conclude that liquid water on early Mars was commonplace and lasted for at least thousands of years. In a paper published in the latest issue of the journal Nature, scientists tracked the presence of clay-like minerals, phyllosilicates, which form only in the presence of water, using an imaging spectrometer instrument on MRO. The team found phyllosilicates in "vast regions" of the ancient highlands of the planet, indicating that liquid water was relatively common early in the planet's history. A related study, published in a companion journal last month, found a complex distribution of these clays in a crater that appears to have been an ancient lakebed; that distribution indicates that water must have been there for thousands of years.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
Senate committee advances Isaacman nomination to lead NASA
Posted: Sun, May 4 10:23 AM ET (1423 GMT) |
|
news links
|
|
Wednesday, May 7
ispace Completes Success 7 of Mission 2 Milestones
ispace — 6:44 am ET (1044 GMT) 'Big picture thinker': Ispace CEO Hakamada on reaching the moon and dreaming of starships
Japan Times — 6:42 am ET (1042 GMT) Private Japanese lunar lander enters orbit around moon ahead of a June touchdown
AP — 6:41 am ET (1041 GMT) Huntsville city leaders anticipate Space Command announcement in the coming weeks
WAFF-TV — 6:40 am ET (1040 GMT) Aderholt urges swift decision on Space Command HQ in Huntsville
WZDX-TV Huntsville, AL — 6:40 am ET (1040 GMT) |
