No Water on Mars? NASA's Seasonal Streak Test Baffles Scientists

Scientists are not sure whether or not there's water on Mars. Since the discovery of the seasonal and changing dark streaks on Mars, scientists have considered the possibility of finding water on Mars. But the ambiguity increased again since the result of a recent damp testing is different from what scientists are expecting to see.

The "recurring slope lineae" (RSL) was discovered years ago and had since sparked the idea that there could be liquid water on the red planet. When photographed, RSL's looked blue spider-like canyons that can mean it is influenced by water. They are also seasonal in nature.

Mars Odyssey measures the ground temperature by using the spacecraft's Thermal Emission Imaging System (THEMIS). This technology was used to perform the probe to see if there's any sign of water on the RSL's on Mars. Although the findings do not entirely oppose the original findings the minerals that serve as markers for the presence of liquid water on the Martian surface, the result of the testing suggest that the temperature is similar to the driest desert sand on Earth.

The attributes of the soil and grains of sand were observed to identify the presence of water. "We used a very sensitive technique to quantify the amount of water associated with these features," Christopher Edwards of Northern Arizona University, said in a press release. "The results are consistent with no moisture at all and set an upper limit at three percent water," Edwards added.

But even the experts remain baffled as to how the recurring slope lineaes (RSL) behave the way they do, which is suggestive of being influenced by water. The seasonal behavior of the slopes remains a mystery to scientists until today.

"Some type of water-related activity at the uphill end still might be a factor in triggering RSL, but the darkness of the ground is not associated with large amounts of water, either liquid or frozen," Edwards said in a statement. "Totally dry mechanisms for explaining RSL should not be ruled out, Edwards added.

Experts say that the different results from various studying show that although men have accomplished a lot in terms of understanding Mars, they still have a lot to learn about the mysterious and interesting planet.