BEIJING: China’s Mars rover Zhurong has provided key observational evidence of liquid water at low Martian latitudes, the warmest regions on the red planet, according to a new study published in the journal Science Advances this week.
Previous studies found evidence of a large amount of liquid water on early Mars, but dramatic climate changes led to very low pressure and water vapor content, making it difficult for liquid water to exist sustainably on the present-day planet. Scientists believe that water can now only exist there in solid or gaseous forms.
However, droplets observed on the robotic arm of NASA’s Phoenix Mars lander prove that salty liquid water can appear in the summer at high latitudes on Mars. Numerical simulations also suggest that climatic conditions suitable for liquid water can briefly occur in certain areas of Mars. But evidence of liquid water at the planet’s low latitudes, where surface temperatures are highest, is still lacking.
Findings from the Zhurong rover now fill that gap.
Zhurong is part of China’s Tianwen-1 Mars exploration mission. It landed on the Utopia Planitia, a vast plain in the northern hemisphere of Mars, on May 15, 2021. It has traveled approximately 2 kilometers and relayed a torrent of data to Earth before switching to dormant mode. It’s landing site was in a low-latitude region of Mars.
–The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
