Mars once gushed with water.
The xxx my lucahRed Planet, long ago callously stripped of its insulating atmosphere, is today 1,000 times drierthan the driest desert on Earth. But deep, roaring rivers used to flow through parts of the ancient Martian landscape. Earlier this year, NASA's car-sized Perseverance rover found evidence of a "rollicking" and "high-energy river." The waterway, evaporated billions of years ago, left evidence of the pebble-rich debris it once transported.
Now, the space agency's rover, exploring Mars' Jezero Crater, has spotted evidence of perhaps vastly more water. As the image below shows, Perseverance snapped images of an expansive boulder field. These large rocks were almost certainly moved by water, similar to how such rocks are moved on Earth.
"These boulders were transported by water that was either deeper or flowed faster than the ancient waterway that deposited the smaller pebbles that also populate the area," NASA wrote.
SEE ALSO: NASA helicopter captures glorious view of Mars, with some surprises
A boulder field spotted by NASA's Perseverance rover in the planet's Jezero Crater. Credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech / ASU / MSSS In the image above, you can spy the rover's tracks as it traversed the boulder field. For reference, its six wheels are each 20 inches across; so these are some sizable, heavy rocks.
NASA's planetary researchers are assessing what these past rivers were like. They know the waterways were robust, and at times curved. "Scientists are now debating what kind of powerfully flowing water formed those curves: a river like the Mississippi, which winds snakelike across the landscape, or a braided river like Nebraska’s Platte, which forms small islands of sediment called sandbars," NASA previously explained.
Overall, it's clear Mars was once an extremely watery place. There are also dried-up lakes, dried streams, and even evidence of ancient waves.
This Tweet is currently unavailable. It might be loading or has been removed.
The question that looms large is if any primitive life ever evolved in Mars' waterways and moist environments (or if Martian life dwelled underground).
One of Perseverance's primary objectives is to "search for signs of ancient microbial life," NASA said. "The rover will characterize the planet's geology and past climate, pave the way for human exploration of the Red Planet, and be the first mission to collect and cache Martian rock and regolith (broken rock and dust)."
Want more scienceand tech news delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for Mashable's Light Speed newslettertoday.
So far, although organic materials — like the carbon found in our bodies — have been found in Martian rock samples, there's no evidence of past cell structures or specific molecules that are telltale signs of life. The extraterrestrial search ahead will be long.
"The burden of proof for establishing life on another planet is very, very high," Perseverance project manager Ken Farley said at a press conference last year.
Previous：Leading by Example
Next：Ready, Set, Go!
PBS SoCal AAPI Heritage Month Programming to Include ‘Baseball Behind Barbed Wire’
Joana Ceddia went viral and brought back the spirit of old YouTube
Trump attacks Kavanaugh’s accuser in a string of despicable tweets
Hurricane Hilary is headed to California. See the path, impact predictions
Andretti and Honda, Names Famous at Long Beach, Celebrate Again with Their Team’s Victory
Moth memes will light up your life
Kavanaugh hearing viewers call C
A baby elephant pushed Melania Trump during her visit to the Nairobi National Park
‘Gaman Birds of Masato Wayne Sumida’ at Armory Center for the Arts
Supremely weird 'interview' with Drew Barrymore goes viral for all the wrong reasons
Jodi Long’s ‘Surfing DNA’ Closes Sept. 29
I am pleasantly horrified by these 'wet unboxing' videos
10 apps to help kids control their emotions
People everywhere walk out in solidarity with sexual assault survivors
‘Untold Story’ to Be Screened at JANM, Manzanar NHS
Watch these panda twins gnaw on bamboo at their joint birthday party
No matter what happens now, history's judgment on Kavanaugh is already clear
10 apps to help kids control their emotions
OCO, Tanaka Farms Host Mochitsuki Pound
The hearing's over, but Twitter isn't buying Kavanaugh's argument
David Beckham hilariously trolls his son Brooklyn on Instagram liveThis bag of chips can sense if you've been drinking and call you an UberGovernment report finds that employers routinely use illegal, sexist dress codesYes, there's going to be a Ferrari Land and it's everything you imaginedInternet points out irony of Trump screening 'Finding Dory' during #MuslimBanActor Kal Penn raises thousands for Syrian refugees after vile social media commentThese convincing Trump and Kim lookalikes are going viral for obvious reasonsSuper talented dad transforms his sons' drawings into beautiful artworkPlayboy Club returning to NYC after 30 years, for better or worseEating at Disneyland's newest restaurant costs as much as your rent Someone uncovered an old email that predicted Donald Trump's presidency Dedicated husband wins Valentine's Day by covering room with 7,000 sticky notes of love Bruce Springsteen gives teen the guitar lesson of a lifetime while on stage Trendsetters teach us how to pose for show How the UK government can hack your personal data Why you can't get a Sweetgreen salad on Thursday in D.C. Apple has reportedly bought the Israeli tech firm RealFace Yep, the U.S. gave a 'Make Somalia Great Again' hat to the country's president Justin Trudeau and Angela Merkel had a candlelit dinner and I am fine with that The internet is not happy with Trump's 'Southern White House'
0.1951s , 12018.265625 kb
Copyright © 2025 Powered by 【xxx my lucah】NASA's rover photo shows water once absolutely gushed on Mars,Feature Flash
