New frozen H2O lake on Mars discovered

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4727847.stm

And here's the ESA announcement =>
http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Mars_Express/SEMGKA808BE_0.html

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I think it's quite cool

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Could it be that a meteor struck Mars and frozen water was a few metres beneath the crust, so it melted from the meteor strike and flowed out, just to be frozen a few minutes later?

Or maybe it could be that the meteor was rich in H2O by itself?

 

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That's false colour isn't it?

 

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The colour images were processed using the HRSC nadir (vertical view) and three colour channels. The perspective views were calculated from the digital terrain model derived from the stereo channels.

But here's a black 'n white image -> http://esamultimedia.esa.int/images/marsexpress/209-010705-1343-6-nd-01-CraterIce_H.jpg

 

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You can definitely see how the water flowed from one specific location. As though from a spring. I don't see how that could have happened if the water were carried within a meteor.

However, I also don't really think it's likely that the 'lake' formed at the same time as the meteor strike. For one thing, I'd think the water would get evaporated from the heat produced. I suppose that much of it might have and only the last little bit before reaching freezing temperatures once more froze as it did but....

I dunno. I just have a hunch that the lake came later.
Could be wrong.

One thing would be the age of the crater. If it was very long ago, then the lake should be covered with dust and debris and be pretty much invisible. This would have to be a very recent meteor strike.

 

Good point, it certainly looks like it.

Yes, that is a possibility, but is it coincidental that that lake is in a meteor crater?
I mean, there probably is a reason why it is there and not anywhere else near outside of the crater.
Maybe there are some other geological processes at work. I'm really not a planetologist to say.

And I agree about the need to determine the age and think that ESA is working on this this very moment

 

That would be crazy if it's from the impact of the crater causing water to be spilled out from under mars surface.



Fred

 

What's so crazy about it?

p.s. Universe is still a place of mistery and wonder (Sir Martin Rees)

 

The possibilies that it could lead to.... Would neat of been a better word, or maybe interesting?

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well, that is interseting, so sappsodily ( let me see if i get the gist of things)
the metear his and the imapce cause a under water sping to be " punctures"?
is that the gist of it?

 

Now there's a place I'd like to send a probe! With a sampling system, a powerful microscope, and a bunch of other instruments to detect microscopic life (or the remnants thereof). Let's go!

 

I'll bring my fins and scuba gear

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Cool! Me too!

We'll have to erect a dome or something and heat the water...

 

*off topic*I always thought it would be a good idea to send someone with a terminal illness to mars, because we would not have to worry about binging them back home.

regardless of what kind of explorer we send, human or rover, it seems like a great place to explore.

 

I see no reasons why we would have to send astronauts to Mars. Robots can do all the work even better than humans.
Of course it would be different if we wanted to make a permenant base there, live there,
but for exploration robots are good enough.

 

I disagree, humans are very versatile, robots are not. even a slight slope, or excessive sand can pose a threat to a rover. not to mention a software problem. we would have to look at the costs. it might end up being cheaper to send humans, it might not. humans require a greater support system, but rovers are expensive to design and build. if I had a terminal illness, I would go in a heart beat.

 

Cosmic radiation. To send appropriate shielding against cosmic radiation together with humans would require enormous resources, much more than sending a probe (rover or any other form).
I think we should more think about enchanting our robots (A.I., etc). Human is more fragile than a robot, it has more risks of failure.

Of course that doesn't mean that we don't have to research better and more efficient ways of shielding ourselves, because that will be needed some time in the future, I just think it is not needed now.

p.s. Here is one recent article from New Scientist about cosmic rays:
http://www.newscientist.com/article.ns?id=dn7753

 

http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Mars_Express/SEMVZF77ESD_0.html

Here's a map that shows the location of the crater. You have to let the globe spin a little and you'll see it very close to the north pole. Well within what would be called the arctic circle on the Earth. I'm not sure if such labels exist on Mars.

But. Regardless, the location being so far north kinda drains some of the excitement of the image. It could easily be just more ice cap.

Still a great image, but not as great as if it were farther south.

I wonder what the temperature of Mars is at the equator?

 

http://www.nineplanets.org/mars.html

 

Oh yeah, baby, I wanna take a summer vacation to Mars now. Too bad that lake isn't located on the day side though. I just hope there's no candiru fish, or worse, swimming around in there.

- N

 

IMHO it is too isolated to be a part of the regular ice-cap.
Besides you told it yourself: You can definitely see how the water flowed from one specific location
Of course I can be wrong and we both can be wrong, speculations won't bring more truth into this. We need more data.