Mars. ExoMars probe discovered large amounts of water under the surface of Mars

FREND’s unique capabilities

The unique capabilities of the FREND instrument come from the fact that it responds to neutrons rather than light. Scientists explain that these particles are emitted when cosmic rays hit the surface of Mars. Dry soil emits more neutrons than rich soil water. – The unique monitoring technology available thanks to FREND allows much higher spatial resolution than previous measurements of this type. Thanks to this, we can see the signal of water that was imperceptible earlier – confirms Alexei Malakhov, one of the authors of the discovery.

– We found that the central part of Valles Marineris is full of water – much more than we expected. Similar to permafrost regions on Earth, the researcher says, ice remains below the surface all the time due to persistent low temperatures.

The water present may be in the form of ice or be chemically related to minerals. However, other observations indicate that the rocks at this point have a poor association with water, so it is possible that the probe detected ice.

This discovery may be surprising, because at this latitude, the ice should evaporate as well as the water associated with the rocks. So there must be another factor at this point that is keeping the water in place, or somehow replenishing it. “This result is an exciting first step, but we need more observations to know what kind of water we’re dealing with,” says ESA’s Hakan.

This discovery is of great importance in that future missions are carefully planned to land at low latitudes. Because although the Mars Express probe discovered traces of hidden water also in the middle latitudes and traces of a deep reservoir in the Antarctic, due to the great depth (up to several kilometers), it will be difficult to use it. Meanwhile, the shallow waters found in Valles Marineris make the area more attractive for future exploration. It also allows you to better understand the planet’s past and choose the best places to search, for example, to search for traces of life – note the experts.

source:
PAP, KopalniaWiedzy.pl

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