NASA confirmed through research that The Red Planet Mars had substantial water on the surface.
Surface water left salt minerals behind as recently as 2 billion years ago, according to Caltech researchers who used the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter to make their discovery.
NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), which has been orbiting the Red Planet since 2006, provided scientists with years of data that allowed them to map the presence of chloride salt deposits left behind by flowing water on the planet.
As a result of observations made by a long-running Mars mission, scientists now believe that liquid water may have flowed in Mars as recently as 2 billion years ago, a time that is significantly later than previously thought.
What is Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO)?
The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) is a space instrument that orbits around with the purpose of capturing high resolution and extremely detailed images of The Red Planet.
It is also previously reported that the photographs of the comet Siding in 2014, the landing location of the Curiosity Rover on Mars, and the search for water and ice are some of the greatest contributions the MRO rover has participated in the field of space research.
The MRO, in addition, also became the instrument to relay communication for both the Curiosity rover and Opportunity rover on the surface of the Red Planet.
Aside from that, it has provided high-resolution imagery of recurring slope lineae and crater streaks that may be caused by dust features or briny surface water, according to the researchers.
Life on Mars: How Does Mars Have Water Resources?
It is widely believed that the water on Mars evaporated approximately 3 billion years ago.
According to NASA, the data gathered by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter over the last 15 years has, however, been discovered by two scientists, who have discovered evidence that significantly shortens that timeline.
Their study reveals evidence indicating that liquid water on Mars has flowed on the planet for approximately a billion years longer than popularly assumed, as recently as 2 billion to 2.5 billion years ago.
Ellen Leask, the study's lead author, conducted much of the research as part of her doctoral studies at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena.
Her and Caltech professor Bethany Ehlmann used data from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars (CRISM) to map chloride salts across the clay-rich highlands of Mars' southern hemisphere to come up with their findings.
Scientists can estimate a planet's age by counting the number of craters on a given area of its surface.
The presence of these craters helped scientists determine the age of the salts: the fewer craters a terrain has, the younger it is.
How It Was Discovered
The scientists were able to determine that the salt deposits on Mars were younger than previously thought, with the help of CRISM, a spacecraft's compact reconnaissance imaging spectrometer for Mars (CRISM).
With adjustments for factors such as a planet's atmosphere, scientists can estimate the age of a region by looking at how many craters it should have. This allows them to estimate the age of the region.
They did this by employing a technique known as "crater counting." The salt deposits on Mars were younger than previously thought.
Space.com reported that MRO's deputy project scientist at NASA, Leslie Tamppari, stated that NASA could better understand Mars through its History by mapping the planets using their instruments.
She also added that "part of the value of MRO is that our view of the planet keeps getting more detailed over time."
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