Liquid water exists deep in the surface of Mars, the fourth planet of the solar system. This information has been revealed in a study using data sent by NASA's Mars Insight Lander. The report was published on Monday.
Scientists hope that this information will further the search for the existence of life on Mars. At the same time, this information can give an idea about what happened in the oceans of the planet long ago.
The InSight lander has been stationed on the red planet Mars since 2018. For more than four years, the rover has measured seismic data on the planet. In addition, the vehicle is examining how the surface shakes in an earthquake and whether there are any materials or substances below the surface.
Based on the data sent by the robot, the researchers say that they have found the existence of liquid water on Mars. And probably its location is deep below the surface of the lander.
Water is considered essential for life and according to various geological studies, 3 billion years ago Mars had lakes, rivers and oceans on its surface.
Bhashan Wright is one of the authors of the new research report. This teacher from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, USA, said, 'We know that our earth is wet enough and there are enough sources of fuel here. Therefore, even deep in the surface of this planet, tiny life exists.'
"If the research results are correct, the sources of life we know about are also on Mars," said Vasan Wright.
Based on data from the InSight lander, the study found that the large reservoir of liquid water is 11.5 kilometers (7.15 miles) below the Martian surface and 20 kilometers below the surface.
The study also revealed that the presence of liquid water under the surface of Mars is more than previously estimated.
Wright said, 'On Earth, water enters the ground from the surface. From there it accumulates deeper. We think that the same process took place on Mars . But that was at a time when the surface of Mars was warmer than it is now.'
The other authors of the research report are Matthias Morzfeld of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and Michael Manga of the University of California, Berkeley. This report was published yesterday in the journal 'Proceedings of the National Academy of Science'.
"I'm encouraged and I think people are, too," Wright said of the new research findings.
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