Discovering Vast Water Reserves Hidden in Mars' Majestic Canyons
Explore the groundbreaking discovery of extensive water deposits beneath the surface of Mars' largest canyon system, opening new horizons for future human exploration.
The first crewed missions to Mars may target these promising sites.
The Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO), an advanced orbital spacecraft, has unveiled vast reserves of water within Mars' intricate canyon network, according to the European Space Agency (ESA).
These water reserves were detected in the Mariner Valleys region—the largest known canyon system in our solar system. This colossal formation stretches ten times longer and is five times deeper than the Grand Canyon in the USA. Scientists estimate the area of the water-rich terrain to be comparable to the size of the Netherlands, approximately 41,000 square kilometers, with water content reaching up to 40% of the upper soil layer.
Alexey Malakhov, a researcher at the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, noted that this area resembles Earth's permafrost zones, where water ice remains trapped beneath dry soil due to persistently low temperatures.
The TGO's detection was made possible by the Fine Resolution Epithermal Neutron Detector (FREND), an instrument that senses neutrons emitted from the planet's surface. These neutrons serve as indicators of hydrogen presence—an essential element of water—up to a depth of one meter.
This remarkable discovery could significantly influence the planning of future Mars missions, especially those involving human landings. The presence of abundant water just beneath the surface positions this region as an exceptionally attractive landing site for the inaugural expedition to the Red Planet.
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