Nasa simulates Mars four billion years, with rivers and ... - Digital Diary

14/11/2013 at 15:42

NASA (North American Space Agency) launched this month a new mission to Mars that will capture data to understand how the Red Planet lost its strong atmosphere. Called Maven (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution, in English), must reach their destination in September 2014. Astronomers believe that there are four billion years ago Mars had plenty of water in liquid format, one of the main ingredients for the formation of life.

At the time, the planet would have a strong atmosphere, which would maintain pressure and temperatures milder conditions for the existence of liquid water. Over the years, Mars lost its atmosphere to become dry and cold in the desert we see today in the images of robots – and no sign of life, at least on the surface. This is what shows a video released by the agency.

There is evidence of liquid flow on Mars today, it might be a solution to reducing brackish Freezing, or ice that can be sublimaria directly into vapor without getting in a liquid phase, said Joseph Grebowsky, engineer Goddard Space Flight Center.

video produced by the Center artistically shows how the surface of Mars could have been in its earliest times, with rivers running to Martian lakes. This is based on evidence that Mars was once very different.

surface characteristics and mineral compositions suggest that Mars had a more dense atmosphere and liquid water on its surface, according Grebowsky.

“There structured channels characteristic that, like the Earth, are consistent with surface erosion by flowing water. The interiors have some impact basins suggesting ponds, with many channels to show connections compatible with the water flows into and out of the crater, there are 3.7 billion years old. Some sedimentary layers in the walls of the valley have minerals that can only be produced in the presence of liquid water as hematite and clays, “said Grebowsky.

And

liquid water to exist on the surface of Mars in the past, the atmosphere had to have a different climate, warmer and a pressure close to or above atmospheric pressure on earth.

• Print
• Email

Share

Comments

All comments are subject to moderation. DD reserves the right to delete comments that do not comply with the rules of use. The comments are the sole responsibility of their authors.