AMA with Mars researchers on the detection of liquid water
Yesterday, NASA provided evidence of the existence of liquid water on Mars, not in the past, but in the present tense itself. In connection with this news, scientists engaged in these studies spoke on Reddit under the AMA (Ask Me Anything) rubric, answering subscribers' questions. Under the cut - the translation of the most interesting and popular questions and answers to them.
Questions are answered:
The original is available here .
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How much water are we talking about? How much is it?
We assume a very small amount of water - it is barely enough to wet the top layer of the surface of Mars. Observed dark stripes are about 4-5 meters wide and 200-300 meters long.
What will the next generation of robots that we send to Mars look like? How will this new data on the planet change the composition of research equipment? And what is fed in a cafe in NASA?
We are planning to send the InSight descent vehicle in 2016, which will be able to detect "Marsquakes". We also have a rover in development for 2020, with a design similar to Curiosity. NASA is also considering launching a new orbiter a little later than 2020.
The tools that are selected for the descent vehicle correspond to the objectives of the mission. Thus, if, in connection with new discoveries, the goals of the mission change, then the set of tools will change.
The food in JPL is just great! Wood-fired pizza, burgers, sandwiches, excellent salad bar.
I read that the rover can not get to some special locations (for example, where dark streams of water are found) due to the risk of introducing terrestrial microbes. What germs are you worried about infecting the surface of Mars?
The dark stripes found are located on steep slopes, so the rover will simply not be able to climb there. Due to the presence of liquid water, we have instructions to consider these regions as special, and to take additional measures to prevent the contamination of the surface with terrestrial microorganisms. Our rovers are not sterilized enough to contact with liquid water.
Due to the fact that the rovers have not been sterilized sufficiently, can this cast doubt on the future discoveries of unearthly microorganisms living near liquid water? Will you be able to blame the fact that open microbes were brought from Earth?
Mars rovers were sterilized to such an extent that they did not contaminate the areas of their landing and operation, where no liquid water was detected. To go to regions with liquid water, rovers must be sterilized more carefully. We also take samples of microorganisms that may be present on the devices at launch, in order to further compare them with those that will be found on Mars.
What is your next step?
We are going to discover more locations containing salt streams. We considered only 3% (!!!) of the surface of Mars in a resolution sufficient to detect them.
How much time do you think it will take before we can make realistic plans for sending a man to Mars?
Now NASA is considering the possibility of sending a man to the vicinity of Mars in the early 2030s. With luck, a man will appear on Mars in the late 2030s.
Probably, I look too far into the future, but does the fact of detecting liquid water mean anything to terraform Mars in the future?
This is more like a tap leak than a stream. We do not see water boiling over the surface of the planet. We see something that has slightly moistened the soil, causing it to darken.
In 2011, it was said that saline water flows can be a seasonal phenomenon. What was the final proof for your team, and what was the first reaction to this data?
With the help of the MRO, we observed these regions from various points throughout the year, and then compared them with observations over the next year. We found that the bands darken and lengthen in the warm season and disappear with the onset of cold weather. The advantages of an MRO are that we can observe these changes for a long time.
Our reaction? This is all incredibly interesting! The closer we look at Mars, the more interesting it becomes!
Questions from my students 4 class.
Can there be life in the Martian water, given that it appears there several times a year? What becomes of life when water disappears?
Can microorganisms from rovers harm microbes from Mars?
This is possible. We know the forms of life that hibernate for a time of drought on Earth. The water that we see in the dark streams is very salty. Salt can harm microorganisms.
We do not know how terrestrial microorganisms will react and life from other worlds. Therefore, we try to clean our rovers very carefully.
Is there evidence of the existence of evaporation on Mars? And where does this water come from?
New impact craters sometimes make it possible to observe bright patches of ice at the bottom of the crater. Ice, sublimating, disappears in a few months. Evaporation of salt streams also takes place, so that water reserves must be replenished. But we do not know how.
Given the seasonality of these phenomena, is it possible to assume that there is a water cycle on Mars?
Yes, the water cycle on Mars is definitely there. But it happens, bypassing the liquid phase - Water vapor freezes, turning into ice, and ice sublimates, turning into steam. There is no rain on Mars, but it may have been, in its early history.
Perhaps a stupid question, but what does this water taste like?
It must be salty, but given that perchlorate is toxic to humans, you do not want to try it.
If there is water on Mars, maybe there is a rainbow there?
Rainbow on Mars can not be observed, because there are no rains there, but we saw an “ice rainbow” using Pathfinder.
Questions are answered:
- Rich Zurek, Chief Scientist, NASA Mars Program Office; Project Scientist, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
- Leslie K. Tamppari, Deputy Project Scientist, MRO
- Stephanie L. Smith, NASA-JPL social media team
- Sasha E. Samonchina, NASA-JPL social media team
The original is available here .
')
How much water are we talking about? How much is it?
We assume a very small amount of water - it is barely enough to wet the top layer of the surface of Mars. Observed dark stripes are about 4-5 meters wide and 200-300 meters long.
What will the next generation of robots that we send to Mars look like? How will this new data on the planet change the composition of research equipment? And what is fed in a cafe in NASA?
We are planning to send the InSight descent vehicle in 2016, which will be able to detect "Marsquakes". We also have a rover in development for 2020, with a design similar to Curiosity. NASA is also considering launching a new orbiter a little later than 2020.
The tools that are selected for the descent vehicle correspond to the objectives of the mission. Thus, if, in connection with new discoveries, the goals of the mission change, then the set of tools will change.
The food in JPL is just great! Wood-fired pizza, burgers, sandwiches, excellent salad bar.
I read that the rover can not get to some special locations (for example, where dark streams of water are found) due to the risk of introducing terrestrial microbes. What germs are you worried about infecting the surface of Mars?
The dark stripes found are located on steep slopes, so the rover will simply not be able to climb there. Due to the presence of liquid water, we have instructions to consider these regions as special, and to take additional measures to prevent the contamination of the surface with terrestrial microorganisms. Our rovers are not sterilized enough to contact with liquid water.
Due to the fact that the rovers have not been sterilized sufficiently, can this cast doubt on the future discoveries of unearthly microorganisms living near liquid water? Will you be able to blame the fact that open microbes were brought from Earth?
Mars rovers were sterilized to such an extent that they did not contaminate the areas of their landing and operation, where no liquid water was detected. To go to regions with liquid water, rovers must be sterilized more carefully. We also take samples of microorganisms that may be present on the devices at launch, in order to further compare them with those that will be found on Mars.
What is your next step?
We are going to discover more locations containing salt streams. We considered only 3% (!!!) of the surface of Mars in a resolution sufficient to detect them.
How much time do you think it will take before we can make realistic plans for sending a man to Mars?
Now NASA is considering the possibility of sending a man to the vicinity of Mars in the early 2030s. With luck, a man will appear on Mars in the late 2030s.
Probably, I look too far into the future, but does the fact of detecting liquid water mean anything to terraform Mars in the future?
This is more like a tap leak than a stream. We do not see water boiling over the surface of the planet. We see something that has slightly moistened the soil, causing it to darken.
In 2011, it was said that saline water flows can be a seasonal phenomenon. What was the final proof for your team, and what was the first reaction to this data?
With the help of the MRO, we observed these regions from various points throughout the year, and then compared them with observations over the next year. We found that the bands darken and lengthen in the warm season and disappear with the onset of cold weather. The advantages of an MRO are that we can observe these changes for a long time.
Our reaction? This is all incredibly interesting! The closer we look at Mars, the more interesting it becomes!
Questions from my students 4 class.
Can there be life in the Martian water, given that it appears there several times a year? What becomes of life when water disappears?
Can microorganisms from rovers harm microbes from Mars?
This is possible. We know the forms of life that hibernate for a time of drought on Earth. The water that we see in the dark streams is very salty. Salt can harm microorganisms.
We do not know how terrestrial microorganisms will react and life from other worlds. Therefore, we try to clean our rovers very carefully.
Is there evidence of the existence of evaporation on Mars? And where does this water come from?
New impact craters sometimes make it possible to observe bright patches of ice at the bottom of the crater. Ice, sublimating, disappears in a few months. Evaporation of salt streams also takes place, so that water reserves must be replenished. But we do not know how.
Given the seasonality of these phenomena, is it possible to assume that there is a water cycle on Mars?
Yes, the water cycle on Mars is definitely there. But it happens, bypassing the liquid phase - Water vapor freezes, turning into ice, and ice sublimates, turning into steam. There is no rain on Mars, but it may have been, in its early history.
Perhaps a stupid question, but what does this water taste like?
It must be salty, but given that perchlorate is toxic to humans, you do not want to try it.
If there is water on Mars, maybe there is a rainbow there?
Rainbow on Mars can not be observed, because there are no rains there, but we saw an “ice rainbow” using Pathfinder.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/368513/
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