Technology –
Water On Mars = Life On Mars?
On Monday, NASA scientists made the major announcement that they’ve discovered water on Mars. Since water breeds and sustains life, is it finally realistic to accept that we are not alone in this vast universe?
Technology
For years, scientists have believed we live in a “soggy” universe where water exists in multiple locations throughout our solar system. However, the discovery of free-flowing salt water on Mars opens up infinite possibilities for already existing life, as well as future life we could create there.
The announcement came from Dr. Jim Green, NASA’s planetary science director. His evidence that flowing, briny water on or near the surface of Mars was exactly the confirmation Lujendra Ojha has been looking for the past several years. Ojha is the Georgia Tech graduate student who first spotted so-called “recurring slope lineae” (RSL) back in 2011 when he was just an undergrad. RSL are seasonal dark, finger-shaped markings on Martian slopes that look an awful lot like liquid flowing downhill to create wet sand or soil.
“This is the smoking gun,” Ojha said. “This is as good as we’re going to get with the current technology.”
“But what we’re saying is that compared to most of Mars in the present day climate, these places (where RSL have been spotted) are probably more habitable than most of the rest of the planet, which is completely bone dry,” Ojha added.
Needless to say, the discovery of water has opened up a sea of questions (pun intended).
Because the water lines seem to emerge seasonally and then apparently dry up and disappear, scientists are actively wondering what is recharging the source year after year. Could it be some sort of hidden spring or aquifer? Could it be melting ice? Could it be some active life force?
Also, what does this mean for the potential of a future human colony on Mars?
“How is this resource, this liquid water on the surface going to help humanity in the long run?” Ojha wondered aloud. “One century’s magic is another century’s science. We’re saying that there is water and it could probably be used as a resource for the future of humanity.”
And what a resource it could be. If water on Mars is found in abundance, it could one day be molded into somewhat of an “ice house” for human shelter. It might even be transformed into drinking water. As scientists prepare for the eventual demise of earth, finding a new planet to inhabit is crucial to the survival of humanity.
Water on Mars almost assuredly means there is existing life on Mars. It may not be life in the form of the little green men sci-fi films have depicted for years, but more along the lines of small micro-organisms that could evolve over time. Or, who knows, maybe a sophisticated society of alien life masked by an invisibility cloak has been existing on the red planet for eons.
They seem to be in a rush to get people on Mars so something must be up. Are they expecting the end of the world or something?