Picture this, you're on Mars,
standing at the edge of Jezero Crater.
Red dust swirling all around you.
You look out at this seemingly barren landscape,
but then something catches your eye.
Almost like a familiar pattern in the rocks.
Could it be the remnants of a dried up riverbed?
It's like a whisper from Mars' distant past.
A hint that liquid water flowed there once.
That's incredible.
And that's just the start.
We're about to uncover evidence of a hidden ocean,
a sulfur surprise, and even a rock
that might hold signs of ancient Martian life.
Wow.
Welcome to Cosmos in a Pod to Space and Astronomy series.
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So are you ready to dive into these Martian mysteries?
Because these discoveries are changing
everything we thought we knew about the red planet.
It's a truly exciting time for Mars exploration.
What's fascinating is that these findings
challenge the idea of Mars as a dead, static world.
We're starting to see a much more dynamic
and, dare I say, hopeful picture emerging.
Okay, let's unpack this,
starting with that life-hinting rock.
You know, the one that has the scientists buzzing?
It was discovered by our trusty Perseverance rover,
nicknamed Percy, right?
That's right.
Percy's been diligently exploring Jezero Crater,
an ancient lake bed over 3.5 billion years old.
Just think about that time scale for a moment.
It's almost impossible for us to comprehend,
and it's in this incredibly ancient environment
that Percy made this remarkable discovery.
So tell us about this rock.
What makes it so special?
Well, this rock, nicknamed Shava Falls,
really stands out from all the others
Percy has encountered.
It's packed with features that are,
to put it mildly, intriguing.
First of all, it's rich in carbon-based organic molecules,
which are the building blocks of life as we know it.
Okay, that's already pretty mind-blowing.
There's more, right?
Yes, Shava Falls also has these veins of calcium sulfate
running through it,
suggesting that water once flowed through it.
And here's where it gets really interesting.
The rock has these tiny spots,
just a few millimeters across each
with a black ring around it.
These spots are rich in iron and phosphate.
And what's fascinating is that similar features
have been linked to fossilized microbes here on Earth.
Wow, so this rock could hold evidence
of ancient Martian life.
That's a game changer.
It's certainly a possibility.
Of course, we have to be cautious and consider
non-biological processes
that might've created these features,
but the potential implications are huge.
I can imagine.
So what's the next step?
How do we confirm whether these features
are truly signs of ancient life?
That's where NASA's planned Mars sample return mission
comes in.
Perseverance is collecting samples from Shava Falls
and other promising sites,
storing them in these sealed containers.
The plan is to bring these samples back to Earth
where scientists can analyze them
using really advanced equipment.
I imagine the secrets those rocks could reveal
once we have them in Earth-based labs.
I can't wait to see what they find.
It's gonna be a truly groundbreaking moment
in space exploration.
Okay, so we have this potentially life-bearing rock.
What other surprises has Mars thrown our way recently?
Well, let's shift our focus to Curiosity,
another one of our intrepid Martian rovers.
Curiosity has been exploring Gale Crater
and Mount Sharp since 2012,
and it stumbled upon a remarkable discovery
completely by accident.
An accidental discovery, tell us more.
So as Curiosity was navigating this rocky terrain,
one of its wheels happened to crack open a rock
and what spilled out?
Pure sulfur.
This was a completely unexpected find.
Pure sulfur.
I have to admit, I didn't have that
on my Martian bingo card.
Why is this discovery so significant?
Pure sulfur is a relatively rare find,
and it's often associated
with specific geological processes
like volcanic activity or hydrothermal systems.
So could this sulfur be a sign that ancient Mars
was volcanically active?
It's definitely a strong possibility.
You see, the presence of sulfur could indicate
that ancient Martian lakes or seas
contain sulfur-rich minerals.
Over billions of years, evaporation
or other chemical processes might have concentrated
the sulfur leaving behind these deposits.
It makes you wonder what other secrets are hidden
beneath the Martian surface
just waiting to be discovered right now.
Absolutely, it's a testament to the power of exploration
and the fact that even seemingly insignificant events
like a rover wheel cracking a rock
can lead to incredible scientific breakthroughs.
And this brings us to perhaps
the most mind-blowing discovery of all.
Are you ready for this?
Mars has a hidden ocean.
It's true.
This discovery made by NASA's InSight lander
has sent shockwaves through the scientific community.
InSight detected massive reservoirs of liquid water
buried deep beneath the Martian surface.
Wait, are we talking about a small underground lake
or something much bigger?
We're talking about a colossal reservoir
potentially covering the entire planet
to a depth of a mile.
And it's estimated to be located
between seven to 13 miles underground.
It really challenges our preconceived notions
of what a dead planet can be like.
This is incredible.
But for years, scientists have been saying
that Mars lost most of its water billions of years ago
when its atmosphere thinned.
So where did this hidden ocean come from?
That's a great question.
And it's one that scientists are actively trying to answer.
The prevailing theory is that much of the water
didn't escape into space as previously thought.
Instead, it seems a significant amount
was trapped below the surface,
forming this vast hidden ocean.
It's like Mars is holding onto a secret,
a remnant of a wetter, more dynamic past.
Exactly.
And this discovery raises
all sorts of tantalizing questions.
Could this hidden ocean be a haven
for microbial life even today?
And what does this mean for the future
of human exploration of Mars?
Makes you wonder, what else is hiding under that red dust?
It's like we've been handed this cosmic mystery novel
and we're just starting to figure out the plot.
A novel with a hidden ocean is a main character.
I love that analogy.
Okay, but speaking of this hidden ocean,
it's hard to grasp the idea
of like a planet-wide body of water underground.
What does it tell us about Mars' past?
It really suggests that Mars was once
a much different place than what we see today.
Billions of years ago, it likely had a thicker atmosphere,
maybe even oceans and rivers on its surface.
We see evidence of this in the ancient riverbeds
and lakebeds like Jezero Crater
where Perseverance is exploring.
Right, and the prevailing theory is that Mars lost
its atmosphere over time
because of a weakening magnetic field.
Exactly.
The solar wind, which is a constant stream
of charged particles from the sun,
gradually stripped away Mars' atmosphere.
And without that protective layer,
the surface water either froze or evaporated into space.
So this hidden ocean is like a time capsule.
Yeah.
Preserving a piece of Mars' ancient past
when it might've been more Earth-like.
That's a great way to put it.
This ocean could hold clues about the conditions
on early Mars and potentially even evidence of past life.
Which leads to the big question,
could there be life in this hidden ocean?
It's so far underground, is that even possible?
It's a question that has scientists so excited.
Here on Earth, we find life
in some of the most extreme environments.
Deep sea hydrothermal vents, boiling hot springs,
even inside solid rock.
Life finds a way.
So if life can exist in those extreme environments on Earth,
why not in a hidden Martian ocean?
Exactly.
And the key ingredient for life as we know it
is liquid water.
This hidden ocean, even miles below the surface,
could provide what's needed for microbial life to exist.
It's like an underground oasis
hidden away from the harsh conditions on the surface.
This is amazing.
Pretty remarkable, isn't it?
And if we found evidence of life in this Martian ocean,
it would completely change our understanding
of the universe.
It wouldn't just be another discovery,
it would change everything.
It would mean that life isn't just this unique thing on Earth,
that it might be common all over the cosmos.
OK, let's switch gears for a second
and talk about those other two discoveries.
The life-hinting rock and that surprising sulfur find,
how do they fit into the bigger picture of Mars?
They add important details to this idea of a Mars that
was once much more dynamic and potentially habitable
than we ever imagined.
The rock found by Perseverance with its carbon-based organic
molecules and those intriguing spots that
look like fossilized microbes gives us
a peek into what might have existed on the Martian surface
billions of years ago.
It's like a message from the past.
Yeah.
A faint echo of a time when Mars might have been
teeming with microbial life.
And the sulfur discovery, even though it
was kind of accidental, tells us about the chemical processes
that shaped Mars.
The presence of sulfur, especially in its pure form,
often points to past volcanic activity or hydrothermal
systems.
And those are both environments where
life could possibly thrive.
Exactly.
So when you combine all these discoveries, the hidden ocean,
the life-hinting rock, the sulfur,
it starts to paint a much more exciting and dynamic picture
of Mars.
It's like Mars is saying, hey, there's
more to me than you think.
I love that.
It reminds us that we should never
underestimate the power of exploration
and keeping an open mind when it comes
to the mysteries of the universe.
You know, it's funny.
We think of Mars as this alien world.
But these discoveries show us it might have been more
like Earth than we thought.
That's so true.
And it makes future exploration even more exciting.
Just imagine.
We could be close to answering one of humanity's biggest
questions.
Are we alone?
Right.
These discoveries have brought back the dream
of sending people to Mars.
But before we pack our bags for a Martian vacation,
what are the next steps in exploring this planet?
Well, one of the most important missions coming up
is the Mars sample return mission perseverance
is already collecting those rock and soil samples,
carefully putting them into sealed containers
for a trip back to Earth.
And once those samples are back on Earth,
scientists can analyze them with much better equipment
than anything we can send to Mars.
Exactly.
We're talking about advanced labs, powerful microscopes.
The whole works.
We could have definite proof of past Martian life
in the next 10 years.
That's incredible.
I can't imagine being a scientist working
on those samples.
It would be like holding a piece of Martian history.
It would be a historic moment.
And beyond that mission, there's another exciting one
in development, the Mars ice mapper.
OK, tell me more about that.
What's the Mars ice mapper all about?
This mission will use radar to map out water ice deposits
under the Martian surface.
This information will be crucial for future human missions.
So it's not just scientific curiosity anymore.
We're actually getting ready for humans to go to Mars.
Absolutely.
Knowing where the water ice is is essential for long missions.
Water ice can be used for drinking water,
but also for making oxygen and even rocket fuel.
So we're not talking about just a quick visit.
We're talking about building something sustainable on Mars.
That's the long term plan.
These robotic missions are paving the way,
giving us the knowledge and resources
we need to make it happen.
It's amazing to think we might see humans walking
on Mars in our lifetime, doing research exploring
those ancient riverbeds, maybe even
standing by that hidden ocean.
What a huge accomplishment that would be.
It would be a true testament to human ingenuity
and our drive to explore the unknown.
And who knows what we might find when we get there?
Maybe we'll find evidence of an old Martian civilization
or a cave full of strange life.
Or maybe we'll make a discovery that changes
how we understand the universe.
The possibilities are endless.
That's what makes space exploration so captivating.
It's about pushing the limits of what we know,
searching for answers to big questions,
and remembering there's so much more to discover.
Well, on that note of cosmic wonder,
it's time to wrap up our Martian adventure.
But before we go, I want to encourage
you to keep exploring with us.
Keep that curiosity alive.
Be sure to follow Cosmos in a Pod,
wherever you get your podcasts.
And subscribe to our YouTube channel
for more amazing space content.
And who knows, maybe one day we'll
be talking about those first human footprints on Mars.
Keep looking up, everyone.
The universe is full of wonders.
This is Cosmos in a Pod, signing off.
Until next time.