Mars Rover Opportunity Has Confirmed (Past) Liquid Water On Red Planet!

As NASA scientists put it, this is a “slam dunk” piece of proof that water once flowed on or under the planet’s surface. And this is more than ice, it’s evidence of flowing water, and lots of it. How do they know that?

Gypsum (the white stuff in the vein up there) is a non-metal mineral made up of calcium sulfate. But on Earth it is known to be made up of not only the calcium and the sulfate, but also water (it’s “hydrous”). Moreover, it occurs naturally from the evaporation of massive, mineral-rich lakes or seas. And that means that water must have stood, flowed, pooled, and evaporated at some point on Mars.

Not bad for a rover that was only supposed to last 90 Martian days!

(images above from NASA/JPL, lulz by me)

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