Mars

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New Mars study suggests an ocean’s worth of water may be hiding beneath the red dusty surface

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Mars may be drenched beneath its surface, with enough water hiding in the cracks of underground rocks to form a global ocean, new research suggests.

https://apnews.com/article/mars-water-insight-nasa-marsquakes-c50281cac5b27d6662eab97140d10c7d?

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UCSD researchers suggest Mars has water

By Kate Murphy

A rendering of the InSight robotic lander exploring Mars. Illustration: Adrian Mann/Future Publishing via Getty Images

In a new study, UC San Diego researchers suggest Mars has large amounts of liquid water miles beneath its surface after analyzing data from NASA's InSight lander mission. Why it matters: Knowing if, when, where and how much water exists on Mars helps scientists determine the water cycle and evolution of the planet, and whether it can sustain life or was able to in the past. Between the lines: "An important ingredient for life is beneath Mars … it's potentially habitable," co-author Vashan Wright, a geophysicist at UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography, told Axios. "It does not mean there is life on Mars." This study "provides the best evidence to date that the planet still has liquid water in addition to that frozen at its poles," according to UCSD. Catch up quick: NASA's InSight lander, which launched in 2018, was the first outer-space robotic explorer to perform an in-depth study of Mars' crust, mantle and core. Zoom in: Wright and his team analyzed gravity data, along with data the lander collected, including the speed of seismic waves from quakes and meteor impacts. The researchers used rock physics models to determine that large amounts of liquid water currently fill underground cracks about 11-20 kilometers below the spacecraft (or 7-12 miles). Context: Billions of years ago, the cold, desolate planet had lakes, rivers and oceans much like Earth. Scientists are still working to understand why it dried up and where that water went. This analysis suggests stores of groundwater sit in the crust, which could fuel future research. The latest: The study was published Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Scripps Oceanography associate professor Matthias Morzfeld and Michael Manga from the University of California Berkeley are also co-authors. What they're saying: "I hope it inspires people as much as it inspires me," Wright said. Keep reading

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Dangerous dust

Toxic particles on Mars would make a future mission to the red planet extremely hazardous for astronauts, new research suggests. Substances such as silica and gypsum could cause life-threatening lung damage and be absorbed into the bloodstream.