A huge mass of water was found under the Grand Canyon on Mars

according to Latest knowledge the European Space Agency ESA Located “large amounts of water” I JM Marineris, dim “Grand Canyon” from red planet. Newly discovered volume of water hidden under the surface of Mars and dated ExoMars Tracking Gas Orbital (TGO) Discover currently orbiting the planet. Made possible with the neutron detector Friend (High accuracy external neutron detector). That maps hydrogen in the top meter of Martian soil. The water-rich region is approximately the size of HollandAs it is called.

“We have noticed that a central part of Valles Marineris is filled with water – Much more water than we expected.”, Says Igor Mitrofanov From the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences. He is the lead author of the new study and FREND’s chief scientist.

Usually in the polar regions

According to the European Space Agency, most water is typically found in polar regions from the planet. There is no exposed water ice near the equator because temperatures there are not cold enough to keep it stable. However, there can be deeper water tanks covered in dust.

“Using TGO, we can look up to a meter below the layer of dust and see what’s really going on beneath the surface of Mars – and above all identify water-rich ‘oases’ that could not be detected with previous instruments,” says Mitrofanov. Compare the occurrence with permafrost the earth. There, too, water ice permanently remains under the dry ground due to the constantly low temperatures.

hydrogen

“FREND has detected an area with an unusually high amount of hydrogen in the Valles Marineris Canyon system: assuming that the hydrogen we see is bound to water molecules, it appears to be 40 percent The European Space Agency quoted Mitrofanov as saying.

“This finding is a great first step, but we need more observations to know for sure what kind of water we’re dealing with,” he adds. Hakan Svedhem, co-author of the study. Regardless, the results will impressively demonstrate the capabilities of the TGO tools. The discovered water tank can also be easily used for future missions, Svidim adds. Study in a specialized magazine direct science Back.