Water Flows On Mars

Water could be flowing somewhere on Mars right now and it certainly flowed sometime in the last seven years, according to the latest analysis of images from NASA’s Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft. Michael Malin and colleagues of Malin Space Systems in California claim that images of the Martian surface, taken several years apart, clearly show evidence for liquid water flowing down gullies in the walls of impact craters (Science to be published). This first contemporary observation of liquid water on Mars provides tantalizing evidence that the planet could possibly support life.

Alluvial flow

The search for water on Mars -- and the implications that its discovery would have for the planet’s ability to sustain life -- has long captivated planetary scientists and amateur space enthusiasts alike. While the Martian landscape contains gulley-like structures that could have been made by flowing water, scientists have never seen direct evidence of liquid water on the planet. Indeed, the only water detected on the planet thus far is frozen solid.