2023-05-13 11:50:07
At first glance, the surface of Mars is a hostile place. The soil there is arid, the temperatures vary from one extreme to another and the air is incredibly toxic.
However, many clues tend to prove that this planet was once warmer and more humid, and that water was present on its surface. According to one hypothesis, gradually the atmosphere of Mars dissipated and a large part of the water with it. What remains is currently concentrated around the poles in the form of ice and permafrost.
Much space research has been undertaken before to learn more about this Martian transition period. According to experts from China’s Tianwen-1 mission, liquid water was present on Mars later than we thought.
Water was present on Mars only a few hundred years ago
The northern hemisphere of Mars is characterized by dunes similar to those found in some deserts on Earth. These dunes thus particularly intrigue researchers, because they could contain several secrets about life and its beginnings. To this end, the Zhurong rover, from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, observed dunes riches in sel in the Utopia Planitia region.
The device identified crusts, fissures, aggregates and bright polygonal ridges in this area. These elements come from a water mix resulting from the melting of frost or snow and mineral salts. Once the water sublimated in the atmosphere of Mars, patches of hard crust, depressions and ridges were left behind. They were then preserved by the atmosphere extremely cold and dry of the red planet. The team believes that these mechanisms were in place between 1.4 million years and 400,000 years.
Mars would still contain water in certain places and at certain times of the year
The team also made computer simulations and compare the results with data from other robotic missions. The results show conditions conducive to the formation of frost and ice in other regions of Mars. This discovery confirms observations from NASA’s Viking missions 1 and 2 in the late 1970s. It seems to confirm the presence of liquid water on Marseven if the quantity would be very small.
“This discovery sheds light on the wetter conditions of the modern Martian climate and provides vital clues for future exploration missions in search of signs of life, especially at lower latitudes where surface temperatures are comparatively warmer and easier. to manage. »
The mission also paved the way for patches of fertile soil where microbes could still currently subsist. Of course, more studies are needed before any of this can be said with certainty.
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