14 DAY TRIAL // Having carried out a series of experiments in laboratory conditions, brainiacs with the University of Michigan in the United States have found that, given the right environmental conditions, liquid water could form on the Red Planet.
In a paper accepted for publication in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, the scientists explain that, according to evidence at hand, a type of salt present in Martian soil is well able to melt ice, should it happen to come into contact with it.
As detailed in a press release on the University of Michigan's official website, the salt now argued to have the potential to birth liquid water on Mars is known to the scientific community as calcium perchlorate.
This salt is basically a mixture of calcium, chlorine, and oxygen, and previous investigations showed it to be part and parcel of natural ecosystems on Earth. Specifically, its presence was documented in the Atacama Desert in Chile.
Experiments carried out in chambers mimicking Martian conditions have shown that, when coming into contact with ice, calcium perchlorate causes liquid water to form, even if temperatures are as low as -100 degrees Fahrenheit (-37.77 degrees Celsius).
In their paper in the journal Geophysical Research Letters, the University of Michigan researchers argue that, all things considered, the outcome of this series of experiments indicates that it is possible that trace amounts of water exist on Mars.
They further detail that this water might be present either on the surface or shallow surface, or even just beneath the surface. What's more, the scientists say that this water does not even have to stay liquid at all times. On the contrary, cycles of freezing, thawing, and flowing again are a possibility.
“Mars is the planet in our solar system that is most similar to Earth. Studies suggest that Mars used to be even more Earth-like in the past, with flowing water on the surface,” explains study first author Erik Fisher.
“By studying the formation of liquid water on Mars we can learn about possibilities of life outside Earth and look for resources for future missions,” the doctoral student in the Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Space Sciences adds.
In light of these findings, the researchers theorize that the wet beads visible on the legs of the Phoenix spacecraft, which reached Mars back in 2008, formed after the lander blasted away some of the Red Planet's topsoil and caused the ice underneath to melt.
The resulting muddy droplets likely remained on the spacecraft's legs for several weeks in a row due to the fact that they contained salts, and therefore, stayed liquid for a considerable period of time, the University of Michigan specialists go on to argue.