The discovery of liquid water on Mars is important for interstellar migration and the research of Martian local weather evolution. Chinese researchers have discovered proof of liquid water on Mars, fashioned from frost or snowfall, utilizing knowledge collected by their Mars rover Zhurong.
The analysis, revealed in Advances in Science and Research, recognized crusted surfaces, cracks, granulation, polygonal ridges and band-shaped water marks on Martian sand dunes throughout the touchdown space of the Zhurong rover. Analysis means that these dune surfaces are wealthy in water-containing minerals akin to hydrous sulfates, protein stones and hydrous iron oxides.
Liquid water is crucial for making a liveable surroundings and supporting life on Mars. While earlier research have proven that there was as soon as a major quantity of liquid water on early Mars, adjustments in its local weather and surroundings occurred with the dissipation of its early environment. Due to the extraordinarily low air stress and water vapor content material, it’s difficult for liquid water to exist stably on present-day Mars, limiting it to strong or gaseous varieties.
However, droplets noticed on the mechanical arm of the US Phoenix Mars probe counsel that saltwater might seem throughout summer season at excessive latitudes on current-day Mars. Numerical simulations additionally point out that appropriate weather conditions for liquid water might briefly happen in sure areas of present-day Mars. Nonetheless, direct observational proof continues to be missing concerning whether or not liquid water exists in low-latitude areas the place temperatures are highest.
In 2021, China’s first Mars exploration mission Tianwen-1 efficiently landed the Zhurong rover on the southern edge of Utopia Planitia, a low-latitude area on Mars.
SEE ALSO: China’s Tianwen-1 Mars Mission Team Wins International Space Award
Researchers used knowledge from the rover’s climate station and meteorological knowledge from different Mars probes to find out that the water-containing options within the sand dunes are associated to frost or snowfall throughout cooling.
These accomplishments advance the investigation of floor observations indicating the presence of liquid water in Mars’ low latitudes. They display {that a} wetter surroundings can exist in areas with comparatively heat and appropriate floor temperatures, highlighting the potential for exploring Mars’ local weather evolution historical past and discovering liveable environments.
Sign up right this moment for five free articles month-to-month!
…. to be continued
Read the Original Article
Copyright for syndicated content material belongs to the linked Source : Pandaily – https://pandaily.com/chinas-mars-rover-zhurong-reveals-evidence-of-liquid-water-on-mars/