- Chinese and American scientists who are studying to know if Mars once had water bodies have made a new discovery
- People like Elon Musk have always dreamed of sending humans to Mars and making it habitable like the Earth
- Chinese robot known as Zhurong rover landed on Mars in 2021 and it has sent back information after penetrating the ground
Scientists have published their findings after sending a rover to Mars to know if it once hosted water.
Researchers and billionaires, such as Elon Musk, have always wanted to know if Mars can support human life like Earth.
The China Zhurong rover landed on Mars in 2021. Photo credit: Getty Images/Andrew Harnik, NEMES LASZLO/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY and CNSA/AP.Source: Getty Images
Chinese and American scientists have found that there was once water in the form of an ocean on Mars.
According to the findings, published on Tuesday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, there is new evidence that water once existed at the planet’s middle to low latitudes.
This was learned through data collected by China’s Zhurong rover, which landed in the southern part of Utopia Planitia in Mars’ northern hemisphere in 2021, CNN reports.
China’s Zhurong rover can penetrate the ground on Mars to detect underground structures and potential water-ice deposits.
The research findings were co-authored by Li Jianhui, a doctoral student at Guangzhou University, and Professor Liu Hai and the paper is titled “Ancient Ocean Coastal Deposits Imaged on Mars.”
Guangzhou University was quoted by China Daily as saying:
“These geological features are highly similar to coastal sedimentary deposits on Earth, providing the most direct underground evidence to date for the existence of ancient oceans in Mars’ middle to low latitudes. If an ocean once existed on Mars, climate change may have caused a large amount of water to be stored as underground ice, raising the possibility that future Mars bases could have ample water resources.”
Scientists are exploring Mars using rovers such as the the NASA Perseverance rover.Source: Getty Images
Is Mars the new world?
World’s richest man, Elon Musk is one of those passionate about taking humans to Mars.
The billionaire believes that one day, humans could colonise Mars and live there. Musk is one person who believes Mars should be renamed ‘The New World.’
He said on multiple posts on X:
“Mars will be called the ‘New World’ just as America was in past centuries. Mars is critical to the long-term survival of consciousness. Earth is great, but it’s fragile. We need a backup.”
Musk’s SpaceX is building a Starship which he intends to use to take humans to Mars in the 2030s.
He said:
“Starship will make life multi-planetary, preserving life as we know it from extinction events on Earth.”
Scientists share information about Asteroid 2024 YRA
In a related story, TheTalk.NG reported that there is an asteroid which has been detected by scientists who are studying its possibility of colliding with Earth.
The asteroid is known as the Asteroid 2024 YR4 and it has a 2.2% chance of hitting our planet on December 22, 2032.
However, scientists at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) are still observing the asteroid.
Source: TheTalk.NG
