Salt Water Flows on Mars Today

It looks like this is the huge news from NASA. Salt water flows there now, boosting the chances for life to exist.

Liquid water flows on Mars today, boosting the odds that life could exist on the Red Planet, a new study suggests.

The enigmatic dark streaks on Mars — called recurring slope lineae (RSL) — that appear seasonally on steep, relatively warm Martian slopes are likely caused by salty liquid water, researchers said.

"Liquid water is a key requirement for life on Earth," study lead author Lujendra Ojha, of the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, told Space.com via email. "The presence of liquid water on Mars' present-day surface therefore points to environment[s] that are more habitable than previously thought."

This is news but not BIG news, not even new news as far as I'm concerned. What says ATS?

www.space.com...

www.abovetopsecret.com...

a reply to: lostbook

I say, I don't get excited about NASA announcements any more.
I haven't for a while.
They overblow their announcements about crap that has been previously self evident.

a reply to: lostbook

It at least confirms water is present. Water means life.(Past or Present)

Think some apologies need to be made today.

From NASA. "Scientists say flowing liquid water almost certainly present on Mars".

Anybody else think the announcement is a bit tame?

Here is the NASA animated GIF shown in the live presentation.



One of the scientists is now going through the results of their spectrum analysis that confirmed that this is indeed salt hydrated with water.

originally posted by: butcherguy
a reply to: lostbook

I say, I don't get excited about NASA announcements any more.
I haven't for a while.
They overblow their announcements about crap that has been previously self evident.

Two different places in found the same solar system where conditions are right for flowing liquid surface water means that conditions for liquid water is probably very common throughout the galaxy/universe

I think that's exciting and the build up to the announcement was NOT overblown at all (at least not by NASA; although it was overblown by others).

a reply to: lostbook

How many more times will there be water on Mars?!
Who ever's running nasa should be sent to Mars.

originally posted by: randyvs
a reply to: lostbook

How many more times will there be water on Mars?!

This is the first time persistent liquid water has been confirmed to be currently flowing on Mars.

They confirmed it by finding its cause.

a reply to: Soylent Green Is People

is probably very common throughout the galaxy/universe

Hmm, that's true. I didn't think of it that way, thanks.

originally posted by: EA006
a reply to: lostbook
Anybody else think the announcement is a bit tame?

I do.

I'm more excited as to what Putin is going to say at the UN.

a reply to: lostbook

The atmospheric pressure is so low that the water must be extremely briny not to sublimate. I'm betting on a subsurface aquifer rather than some sort of surface water cycle. This means there could be extremophile bugs underground.

I'm so glad president Obama gutted NASA so we have zero chance of getting to Mars in the next half century..
It is unfathomable that scientific minded people are not outraged by him killing both the ares v and constellation programs respectively....
And spare me the budget overruns....this is space travel, not social security...
-Christosterone

Damn. And I thought they found non intelligent life. Matt Damon. a reply to: lostbook

a reply to: lostbook

Let's see; salty water is often called brine.

Does anyone have a good dish using brine shrimp?

I'm surprised they found flowing saltwater not fresh water, the frozen water discovered (suspected) other places might be fresh water which is good for gardening and human life so there is still "hope" human life can exist on Mars today without a major redo

next phase..... research into the source of the water remaining on Mars
(colonization or mining enterprises just leaped 100 times over earlier odds)

next off...is that liquid similar or exactly the same as water from Earth ?

if the Mars water and Earth water are similar then the theory of icy-comets creating two separate oceans on two worlds is hard to fathom.... A single source of identical H20 on both planets would seem to be too fantastic to explain easily

originally posted by: Sheridan91s
Damn. And I thought they found non intelligent life. Matt Damon. a reply to: lostbook

Matt Damon....hmmmm
Multicellular: yes
Intelligent: no

originally posted by: TSOM87

originally posted by: EA006
a reply to: lostbook
Anybody else think the announcement is a bit tame?

I do.

I'm more excited as to what Putin is going to say at the UN.

He went to see "The Martian" at the flicks, says it's rubbish! lol


Edit: Watching him just now.....He's taking digs at the Americans and those at the top of the pyramid....

originally posted by: blacktie
I'm surprised they found flowing saltwater not fresh water, the frozen water discovered (suspected) other places might be fresh water which is good for gardening and human life so there is still "hope" human life can exist on Mars today without a major redo

I'll bet there is fresh water flowing underground if not also on the surface as well. Doesn't water start out as fresh, then sediments and other factors eventually make it salty?

Yes several. a reply to: tinymind