--- F R E N D Z of martian --- -----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 > -> IUFO Mailing List > > Source: Spaceflight Now > June 21, 2000 > > Water found on Mars > > Confirming what scientists had long theorized, NASA is expected to > announce next week that water has been found on Mars. The > discovery, if true, would have profound implications about whether > there is or was life on the Red Planet. > > The Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft currently orbiting the planet > made the detection, according to a BBC news report today. MGS was > launched in 1996 to map the Martian surface. > > The report said evidence of liquid surface water was detected "in > the central part of the mighty Valles Marineris, the 6,000 km long > (3,700 miles) canyon that scars the Martian surface." > > Images taken by MGS show blackish, or dirty, water seeping from > beneath the surface in an area of layered terrain and pooling. > > The report said the seepage could occur only seasonally, explaining > why it had not been seen in all images taken of the region. > > Because the Martian atmosphere is too thin, water is unable to > exist on the planet's surface today. However, central parts of the > Valles Marineris canyon are a few miles lower than the rest of the > surface, giving credence to higher atmospheric pressure and the > suspected water seepage. > > Meanwhile, other scientists say they might have found similar water > seepage on the walls of at least two craters in other parts of the > planet Mars, the BBC report went on to say. > > Rumors about the discovery were initially reported by the NASA > Watch Web site earlier this week, which said the White House had > been briefed on a major finding by MGS. The site later reported a > paper was being prepared for the upcoming issue of the journal > Science. > > NASA's long-term Mars exploration program, which suffered the loss > of two robotic missions last year, has been geared toward finding > water on Earth's neighbor. Vast oceans are believed to have once > flowed on Mars and scientists have suspected some water might still > be trapped below the planet's surface. > > The ill-fated Mars Polar Lander probe was headed for the Martian > south pole last December to dig for water ice just below the > surface. But the craft crashed. > > Water is considered the cornerstone to life, and NASA's Mars > research efforts have been dedicated to find evidence of past of > present water. Such a discovery of water, space agency officials > have said, would be a major step forward in answering the question > of where life has ever existed on the planet closest to Earth. > > A NASA science briefing is tentatively scheduled for 2 p.m. EDT > (1800 GMT) on Thursday, June 29. > > Mark -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: PGPfreeware 6.5.1 Int. for non-commercial use <http://www.pgpinternational.com> iQA/AwUBOVF2V5/fHXYJkzo2EQJRzACeIQqujDPyuUosuLT8UijNDszwD/AAnA5y qjRjykLmShzfdyPJ20S7i1gA =L/Wj -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- -- Sent to you via the frendz list at marsbard.com The archive is at http://www.mail-archive.com/frendz@marsbard.com/
