For plenty of time, scientists believed that Mars was always a dry planet with no trace of water. But the more they studied astronomy, the more they realized that they have even more to learn. Mars is a true wonder of the Solar System, as it has the potential of harboring at least some primitive forms of life.
A delta-lake system was once present on the Red Planet – more precisely in the Jezero Crater, and the scientific team behind NASA’s Perseverance rover confirms the wild idea, according to Fox News.
The authors of the new study wrote the following:
We interpret the presence of inclined strata in these outcrops as evidence of deltas that advanced into a lake. In contrast, the uppermost fan strata are composed of boulder conglomerates, which imply deposition by episodic high-energy floods,
This sedimentary succession indicates a transition, from a sustained hydrologic activity in a persistent lake environment, to highly energetic short-duration fluvial flows.
Sending anything to the Red Planet is obviously costly, especially if we want to send a human crew there. However, there are some interesting plans involving non-expensive ways of sending items to the Red Planet.
Why is Mars so important
Mars is the only planet from the Solar System, except for Earth, where astronomers hope to build a colony one day. The reasons are obvious. There are only four rocky planets in our Solar System: Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars. Two of them are way too hot due to the close distance that separates them from the Sun: we’re talking about Mercury and Venus.
The Red Planet still lacks plenty of characteristics suitable for life that we find on Earth. But even so, Mars still has at least the theoretical potential of harboring some life forms, such as microbial ones.