Jun 21 2000
From The Space Library
NASA reported to the public that Mars Global Surveyor had captured images depicting erosion and soil deposits consistent with the presence of flowing water on the planet in the past. Researchers had long postulated that, billions of years ago, Mars's surface held abundant water, which had dried up as the planet's atmosphere thinned. Because scientists had suggested that the one-time presence of water on Mars might indicate the one-time presence of life on the planet, the new evidence created significant excitement in the scientific community. In announcing the find, NASA reported that it "could turn out to be a landmark discovery," but cautioned against drawing conclusions from the images without further analysis. Furthermore, the images suggested that water might have been present on the planet more recently than previously thought. Associate Administrator for Space Science [[Edward J. Weiler] explained, "For two decades scientists have debated whether liquid water might have existed on the surface of Mars just a few billion years ago. With today's discovery, we're no longer talking about a distant time. The debate has moved to present-day Mars.”
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