The recent retirement of NASA’s InSight lander has yielded a remarkable discovery: evidence of massive liquid water reservoirs hidden beneath the Martian surface. This groundbreaking finding adds to the growing body of evidence suggesting that Mars once harbored significant bodies of liquid water, as evidenced by ancient river deltas found across its surface. The presence of liquid water is a crucial ingredient in the search for past or present life on the Red Planet, as we know it to be essential for life as we understand it.
While previous observations pointed to the existence of water ice on Mars, InSight’s seismometer, used to study the planet’s geological activity, has provided definitive evidence of liquid water reservoirs deep within the planet’s crust. These reservoirs are estimated to be so large that if their water were to be released, it would cover the entire Martian surface in approximately a mile of ocean.
This discovery presents a fascinating enigma. While it strengthens the possibility of past life on Mars, it also raises the question of whether life could still exist in these hidden reservoirs, miles beneath the planet’s surface. However, accessing these subterranean water sources remains a significant challenge, as they are located between 7 and 13 miles beneath the surface in the mid-crust region. This depth poses a significant obstacle for current technology, making the exploration of these water reservoirs a distant prospect for the foreseeable future. Nevertheless, the discovery of these massive water reservoirs provides valuable insight into the history of Mars and its potential to support life, both past and present.
