NASA's big announcement today is that NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter found evidence that strongly supports the longtime theory that salt water in liquid form flows down certain Martian slopes each summer!
The dark streaks, known as recurring slope linae, have also been observed at Hale Crater. (Image: Jet Propulsion Laboratory/University of Arizona/NASA)
The source of the water is still a mystery. Scientists speculate it could be melting ice, an underground aquifer, or water vapor from the thin Martian atmosphere, or a combination thereof. Of course the biggest deal is, that finding water can have major implications for the possibility of life on Mars!
A time-lapse animation of Palikir Crater, below, shows how the streaks extend and darken during warmer months on Mars, then gradually fade as temperatures cool. (image from NASA/Jet Propulsion Laboratory/University of Arizona)
