New research based on seismic data indicates the presence of vast swathes of water under the surface of Mars. The water likely trickled from the surface billions of years ago.
The water is believed to be located 7.2 to 12.4 miles (11.5 to 20 km) below the Red Planet's dusty surfaceImage: Nasa/Getty Images
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A vast reservoir of water may be hiding beneath the surface of Mars, within the crevices of igneous rocks, enough to form a global ocean, a new study has revealed.
Scientists have based these findings on seismic data gathered by NASA's InSight lander which helped decode the interior of Mars with a seismometer from 2018 to 2022.
The water is believed to be located 7.2 to 12.4 miles (11.5 to 20 km) below the Red Planet's dusty surface, according to the research published on Monday in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
What have scientists found?
The water would have most likely trickled from the surface billions of years ago when Mars had rivers, lakes and possibly oceans, said the lead scientist, Vashan Wright of the University of California San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
"At these depths, the crust is warm enough for water to exist as a liquid. At more shallow depths, the water would be frozen as ice," Wright said.
If the location of InSight at Elysium Planitia near the planet's equator is representative of the rest of the Martian territory, the underground water would be enough to fill a global ocean a mile or so deep, he added.
"On Earth what we know is where it is wet enough and there are enough sources of energy, there is microbial life very deep in Earth's subsurface," Wright said.
"The ingredients for life as we know it exist in the Martian subsurface if these interpretations are correct."
Life as on Mars: NASA unveils Mars Dune Alpha
Four volunteers on 160 square meters: For one year, they are to test what life on Mars might look like. The U.S. space agency NASA expects this to provide important information for possible Mars missions.
Image: Go Nakamura/REUTERS
As realistic as possible
Starting in June, four volunteers will move into NASA's Mars Dune Alpha house to test life on the Red Planet. For this purpose, they will live for a year in a converted hangar on the research grounds of the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. Here, several rooms, an outdoor simulation area and, above all, lots of red sand await the future participants.
Image: Go Nakamura/REUTERS
Isolation, the main problem of possible missions
In a first experiment, scientists want to test how humans cope with prolonged isolation and stressful situations. This should help NASA assess what "resources" are needed for future astronauts to survive a Mars mission, says Grace Douglas, who heads the Chapea program responsible for the experiment.
Image: Go Nakamura/REUTERS
Little space on Mars
The volunteers cannot take much luggage with them. They will live in small bedrooms in the house on the research site during the year. The house is built entirely using 3D printing. This is one of the technologies NASA is considering as a possibility for constructing buildings on other planets or the lunar surface, says project manager Grace Douglas.
Image: Go Nakamura/REUTERS
Space for experiments
In addition to the bedrooms, "Mars Dune Alpha" has two bathrooms, a medical care room, an area for relaxing and several work areas. During their time, the researchers will regularly test how the volunteers react to stress — for example, when water runs low or equipment breaks down.
Image: Go Nakamura/REUTERS
Matching boots for Mars landscape
Participants exit the 3D house via an airlock to a replica of the Martian environment. With lots of red sand, life on Mars is to be recreated as realistically as possible.
Image: Go Nakamura/REUTERS
Fit in isolation
Suspended from harnesses to mimic the lower gravity on Mars, the fictional astronauts will simulate trips outside on treadmills. They will collect samples, gather data and continue to build infrastructure. "We really can't have them just walking around in circles for six hours," joked Suzanne Bell, director of the Behavioural Health and Performance Laboratory.
Image: Go Nakamura/REUTERS
Growing vegetables on Mars
In addition to a weather station, the research center also offers a vertical farm for growing lettuce and other plants. Here, participants can grow vegetables to be self-sufficient during the time.
Image: Go Nakamura/REUTERS
Important insights for future missions
A total of three long-term experiments are planned at the site. The hope is to obtain "important information" for a longer stay in isolation. However, Nasa is still at the very beginning of its preparations for a trip to Mars. First, the space agency is concerned with the Artemis mission: For the first time in half a century, humans are to travel to the moon again.
Image: Go Nakamura/REUTERS
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Too deep
Water would be a crucial resource if astronauts are ever to be placed on Earth's planetary neighbor or to establish a long-term settlement.
Mars has water at its polar regions and sub surfaces in the form of ice.
However, the depth of the apparent underground liquid water would make it difficult to be reached.
It would take drills and other equipment to confirm the presence of water and look for any potential signs of microbial life.
"Drilling to these depths is very challenging. Looking for places where geological activity expels this water, possibly the tectonically active Cerberus Fossae (a region in the northern hemisphere of Mars), is an alternative to looking for deep liquids," the study's co-author Michael Manga of the University of California, Berkeley, said.
He stressed that concerns about protecting Mars' environment would have to be addressed.
