Thread: Drops of Water on Mars? Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Drops of Water on Mars?
Wednesday, February 18, 2009

NASA's Phoenix Mars lander is likely to end in May 2008 landed in a puddle of water on the red planet. Lead scientists to the analysis of photographs sent by the spacecraft. That drops his photos appear on the landing. This informs the site of the renowned magazine New Scientist.



Too cold?
The presence of water on Mars is not new. But until now it was assumed that only in the form of ice on the surface was. The new discovery reinforces the idea that the soil of Mars is quite a bit of water.

Large canyons and river-like channels in the landscape of Mars suggest that there used to the surface lot of water has gestroomd. At first the scientists rejected the notion of water drops when they saw the pictures, because it is too cold in the place where Phoenix landed. During the five months that data sent from Phoenix to the Italian Marti pool, it was never warmer than -20 degrees.

Salt
But in the soil of Mars are perchlorates salts, which act as antifreeze. Even at -70 would the water - that while salt is terrible - then remain liquid.

Another problem that scientists wrestled with the drops were on the photos increase. Declare that they are by the hygroscopic properties of salt. Salt attracts water to. The humidity of the atmosphere at the landing site of Phoenix is now to correct the growth rate of the droplets on the photographs. (mvl)


Source: hln.be