According to data from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Mars InSight Lander, studies show that water exists in Mars’ rocky outer crust.
There is only one problem—it’s too deep to tap into.
Prof Michael Manga, from the University of California, Berkeley, said that the water is “sequestered 10-20km deep in the crust.” He also said that drilling a hole 10km deep on Mars would be a difficult task, even for Elon Musk.
Nevertheless, this water discovery increases the chance that there is life on the planet.
Ancient water on Mars
The news about water existing on Mars billions of years ago is not new. Past evidence reveals that there is water frozen at the Martian poles and vapor in the atmosphere.
Scientists also studied the surface of Mars, and its channels and ripples hint that there were rivers and lakes on the planet in ancient times.
So, where did all the Martian water go?
For three billion years, this entire world was a barren desert. Now, for the first time, scientists have discovered liquid water on the planet.
According to Prof Manga, some of Mars’ water was lost to space when it lost its atmosphere, which shields a planet from incoming ultraviolet radiation and protects it from outer space, holding air, gases, clouds, and tiny particles.
Discovery of the Martian liquid water
The discovery of the Martian liquid water came from a new analysis of data from NASA’s Mars InSight Lander, which has been on the red planet since 2018.
The Lander’s job was to record the vibrations from deep inside Mars or listen to its quakes. This device listened to the “pulse of Mars” for over four years.
After analyzing those quakes and how the planet moves, researchers found the “seismic signals” of liquid water on Mars.
Interestingly, it was noted that the amount of liquid water beneath the surface is greater than the amount believed to have filled ancient Martian oceans.
Although no one can dig into Mars’ hidden liquid water reservoirs, researchers hope to uncover more clues about the planet’s history and the life that may have existed there billions of years ago.
