NASA has yet to come up liquid water on Mars , but analysis of the soil where the Spirit Rover became stuck last year suggests limpid water flowed through the territory — and somewhat of late .
For the past year and a half , Spirit has been vex at a Martian site call Troy , where the rover ’s wheel part through a crust and churn into flabby moxie . But it has n’t sat wholly idle . NASA research worker have used Spirit ’s downtime to inquire the land at Troy , and have found the site may see fluid water during certain mood cycles .
Near the ground ’s surface sit relatively indissoluble minerals , which the researchers believe to be hematite , silica and gypsum . Further down in the soil are ferric sulfates , more soluble minerals that the researchers speculate were persuade down in the grease by swimming water . None of the minerals are exposed at the surface despite the wind constantly stripping and alter the landscape , which indicate that the minerals were stockpile down comparatively recently and continuously , with the ferric sulphate being carried down further than the less soluble minerals .
Currently , Spirit is in hibernation , but if it arouse and its robotic arm is still usable , research worker would care to examine other samples at the site . But these finding propose that liquified water may not be entirely in Mars ’ past tense .
NASA Trapped Mars Rover Finds Evidence of Subsurface Water[NASA viaPopSci ]
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