Did We Just Find Liquid Water on Mars? NASA InSight Lander’s Surprising Data

Recent findings from the Mars InSight mission indicate that Mars may have liquid water within its crust, a revelation that enhances the planet’s potential habitability and propels the search for life.

Led by Vashan Wright, the research team analyzed Marsquake data to deduce the presence of sub-surface liquid water, providing exciting possibilities for understanding Mars’ climate and geological history.

Data about Mars’ planetary crust gathered from the Mars InSight lander are best explained by the conclusion that the crust has stores of liquid water.

Analysis led by Vashan Wright, a geophysicist at the University of California, San Diego’s Scripps Institution of Oceanography, provides the best evidence to date that the planet still has liquid water in addition to that frozen at its poles. If that conclusion is true, it sets the stage for new research considering the planet’s habitability and continuing a search for life that exists on a place other than Earth. The potential presence of liquid water on Mars has tantalized scientists for decades. Water is essential for a habitable planet.

“Understanding the Martian water cycle is critical for understanding the evolution of the climate, surface, and interior,” Wright said. “A useful starting point is to identify where water is and how much is there.”