Image via NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration released on Monday scientific evidence confirming that liquid water flows on the surface of Mars, the strongest indication yet of extraterrestrial life in outer space.
NASA reports,
“New findings from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) provide the strongest evidence yet that liquid water flows intermittently on present-day Mars.
“Using an imaging spectrometer on MRO, researchers detected signatures of hydrated minerals on slopes where mysterious streaks are seen on the Red Planet. These darkish streaks appear to ebb and flow over time. They darken and appear to flow down steep slopes during warm seasons, and then fade in cooler seasons. They appear in several locations on Mars when temperatures are above minus 10 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 23 Celsius), and disappear at colder times.”
Image via NASA
Astronaut and associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate John Grunsfeld said that America's space agency now has “convincing science that validates” the existence of “life in the universe.”
“Our quest on Mars has been to ‘follow the water,’ in our search for life in the universe," said Grunsfeld, "and now we have convincing science that validates what we’ve long suspected.”
Michael Meyer, lead scientist for NASA’s Mars Exploration Program, said that the breakthrough brings the U.S. one step closer to learning "how life can be supported" on a new planet.
“It seems that the more we study Mars, the more we learn how life could be supported and where there are resources to support life in the future,” he said.
Check out highlights of NASA's "Mars Announcement" and an animation showing streaks of water within Mars' Hale Crater below.