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The discovery of evidence of liquid water on Mars boosts astrobiology.
By Daniel Sorid
Staff Writer
posted: 07:00 am ET
26 June 2000
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marsfinding_astrobiology_000626 The discovery of signs of liquid water near the surface of Mars has given a boost to the already hot field of astrobiology -- the study of issues related to possible life in the universe. Scientists have long believed that the materials that led to life on Earth also exist, or previously existed, on Mars. These ingredients include carbon, certain minerals, liquid water and energy. 
"We probably have the instrumentation we need right now to go there and look for organic chemistry and the signs of life."
The findings announced Thursday -- evidence of water seeping to Mars' surface in recently cut gullies -- bridge a gap in the beliefs of astrobiologists, taking them from strong suspicion to near certainty about the existence of liquid water on Mars."There's a subtlety between having every reason to believe [water] is there and having this higher level of certainty," said Bruce Jakosky, a professor of geological science at the University of Colorado, and the director of the university's center for astrobiology. "We now know pretty convincingly that there is liquid water on Mars, and that it's relatively accessible near the surface," he said. The question remains, however, as to whether the presence of all of those ingredients under similar conditions would lead to life on Mars or any other planet. | Life and Living On Mars | | NASA Draws Up Big Booster for Mars: Engineers at NASA's Marshall SpaceFlight Center have sketched out preliminary designs for a mammoth rocket that would be capable of launching three times as much cargo as NASA's space shuttle.Want to Learn More? | 
Your Ancestors May Be Martian: Some hardy Martian organisms mayhave survived a journey through space and colonized Earth and eventually evolved into the huge variety of life we know today. Want to Learn More? | The field of space studies is known to throw curveballs. For instance, scientists last week said the latest evidence of water was found in cooler and darker areas facing away from the equator, while many had previously assumed that liquid water near the surface could only exist in hotter, sun-facing areas. The good news and the bad news That water apparently exists or existed in the recent geological past near the Martian surface relieves a burden on NASA, which has struggled for decades with a shrinking budget and Congressional skepticism. The water finding gives the space agency a strong justification for future funding requests for Mars missions and the search for life. Water on the surface of Mars could be analyzed on site or returned to Earth, not to mention examined for the presence of microbes or other life. But NASA may still have to struggle with landing on Mars. Not only has the agency recently failed in an effort to land a craft on Mars (the Polar Lander apparently was destroyed in its landing attempt in 1999), but landing in the areas pointed out by the recent announcement as possible water sources -- on slopes between latitudes of 30 and 70 degrees north and south of the equator -- could add a degree of complexity. Several factors, including issues relating to the rotation of Mars, make landing in those latitudes very difficult. "You have to get good at precision landing, which we're not particularly good at right now," said Ken Nealson, an astrobiologist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, in Pasadena, California. The robotic advantage In terms of robotics technology, however, NASA may be well positioned for this kind of mission. "We probably have the instrumentation we need right now to go there and look for organic chemistry and the signs of life," said Jack Farmer, an astrobiologist at Arizona State University. And while getting there "is going to require some additional technological development," he said, "this kind of discovery may accelerate" those developments. NASA's Mars exploration plans are evolving. A mission to orbit another craft around the planet in 2001 is set, but nothing is set in stone after that. Farmer said he believes NASA should take its time studying the planet before embarking on an ambitious mission. "I think we need to maintain a balanced approach until we learn more about the planet," Farmer said. "I would like to see the next few opportunities focus on continued global reconnaissance with a couple of targeted landing missions."
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