Review: "strongest Proof Yet of Water Flows on Mars"

New York Times Article

"Strongest Proof Yet of Water Flows on Mars"

This article is about the resent NASA developments in their Mars exploration and research. Scientist have been trying to find signs of water or ice on the planet for many years now but this is some of the best evidence yet. They would like to find water because with a little amount of heat source, there is a good chance microbial life can be found, even in this hostile environment. Scientist have made these new discoveries by looking back at pictures of the planet taken some seven years ago and comparing them to picture taken this year. in the pictures there is noticeable gullies that strongly suggest these have been formed a water. NASA's Mars Global Surveyor took the picture shortly before falling silent last month after nearly ten years in orbit.

The pictures show light colored deposits in two different gullies inside crater walls that were not seen in pictures taken in 1999. From the pictures NASA thinks these deposits are materials left by the bursts of water from when it would flow down the side of the gully.

This new development is exciting because the possibility of water on Mars opens new doors worth looking into. It raised questions like where did it come from and whether it can be used as a resource for future missions to Mars. If water is found there, it can be used to be turned into hydrogen and oxygen, and then used as rocket fuel or oxygen for astronauts to breathe. Many at NASA believe the water worked its way up from underground then acuminating under a crust of ice then was suddenly released when the surface broke from an earthquake or meteor strike.