WATER AND LIFE ON MARS
The presence or absence of water has a direct bearing on the possibility of life on other planets. (1) In the nineteenth century, it was commonly accepted that life, perhaps even intelligent life, was widespread in the solar system, and Mars was an obvious target in the search for life. (2) New photographic technology offered a way for astronomers to learn more about the red planet. In 1888, Italian astronomer Giovanni Schiaparelli produced images that showed a network of long, thin, dark lines crossing the surface of Mars. (3) He called these features canali in Italian, which became “canals” or “channels” in English. The strange appearance of the canals suggested to some scientists that they had been formed artificially rather than naturally. (4) The mystery deepened when Schiaparelli observed that many of the canals in the photographs were actually double.
Other photographic images of Mars revealed its seasonally changing polar ice caps and features that appeared to be ancient islands located in what was now a dry streambed. When the islands were first discovered, some scientists speculated that a thick water-laden atmosphere capable of generating heavy rains had once existed on Mars. However, others remained unconvinced of the presence of water. Then, in 1963, a team of astronomers obtained a good photographic plate of the near-infrared spectrum of Mars. The photograph showed that, faintly but definitely, water vapor lines could be seen. This photograph established that there really was water on Mars, though the amount was very small. Today, the presence of water vapor in the Martian atmosphere is generally accepted, as is the belief that the atmosphere was once much denser than it is now, with a much greater abundance of water vapor.
The surface of Mars is dry today, but it does contain significant amounts of ice and signs that liquid water once flowed over the planet. All of the locations where evidence of water has been found are ancient, probably formed very early in Martian history. Data transmitted from spacecraft on Mars in 2004 have revealed that water was once common across a vast region of the planet, possibly as shallow lakes or seas that dried out and then filled up again. There are signs that the wind blew debris around during dry stages. These seas and lakes extended across hundreds of thousands of square miles, creating habitable conditions during long stretches of time billions of years ago.
Evidence of water includes the presence of various minerals known as evaporates, deposits left behind when liquid water turns to vapor. Small areas of mineral deposits have been found in Valles Marineris, a huge hole on Mars that is larger than the Grand Canyon on Earth. The minerals there contain water, so they had to be formed in the presence of water. Geologic research has also turned up clay and gypsum deposits that were formed by water in the soil. Rocks that clearly formed in water extend throughout 300 meters of layered materials in several locations across the Martian plains. The layers were built up over time, which means water was present, at least temporarily, for extended periods on ancient Mars.
Besides the ice packs at Mars’s poles, astronomers have discovered a frozen sea near its equator. This frozen sea is the size of the North Sea on Earth and appears similar to the ice packs on Antarctica. Scientists have also detected evidence of lava flows 20 million years ago as well as signs that some volcanoes may still be active. Several recently formed volcanic cones near Mars’s North Pole indicate that the planet’s core may interact with the surface, meaning there was both warmth and moisture in the recent past—circumstances that might have supported life.
Liquid water is the key ingredient for life as we know it. Of all the other planets in the solar system, Mars is most like Earth. The fact that water existed on ancient Mars does not necessarily mean life ever emerged there; however, all of the available evidence does suggest that Mars meets all the requirements that are needed for life to exist.