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Evidence of Water Found on Mars
Moffett Field - Mar 03, 2004 NASA's Opportunity rover has found convincing evidence that large quantities of water were once present in at least one location on Mars. "The rocks here were once soaked in liquid water," said Steve Squyres, principle investigator for the Mars Exploration Rover (MER) mission, referring to the bedrock outcrop near the rover's landing site in Meridiani Planum. Evidence suggests that, at some point in Mars's past, water was present in sufficient quantity to make the region "capable of supporting life as we know it." Confirmation of water's role came from a series of detailed measurements made over the past few days at El Capitan, a small section of the rock outcrop. Both microscopic images and spectral measurements, which can reveal specific chemicals and minerals, helped to convince scientists of water's historical role. Squyres did, however, offer a caveat. While the outcrop was "definitively" altered by water percolating through it, he said, scientists are still not certain whether water played a role in its initial formation.
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