Discovery Story: Salty Water Flows on Mars Today, Boosting Odds for Life
The announcement that liquid, salty water has been found flowing on the surface of Mars came as no real surprise to astronomers. Mars is full of water, mostly in the form of ice at the poles and under the surface. Also, Martian air is surprisingly humid: up to 100 percent humidity on cold winter nights.
Spectroscopic analysis showed that the streaks are hydrated perchlorate, a briny liquid of perchlorate salt with water trapped in its crystals.
Scientists estimate that 4.3 billion years ago, Mars had a huge ocean covering its entire northern hemisphere. This ocean would have contained more water than Earth’s Arctic Ocean.
Indications are that some of Mars' water is still there, frozen beneath the surface. A giant slab of ice as big as California and Texas combined, and as deep as a 13-story building, lies beneath the surface of Mars between the planet's equator and north pole, researchers say.
The Mars rover Curiosity weather station shows that the thin Martian air is surprisingly humid. Curiosity's measurements range from about 5 percent humidity on summer afternoons to up to 100 percent (saturation point) on autumn and winter nights.
Water on Mars Could Help Put Astronaut Boots on Red Planet
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