Water flows on Mars Dec 6, 2006 Water could be flowing somewhere
on Mars right now and it certainly flowed sometime in the last
seven years, according to the latest analysis of images from
NASA’s Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft. Michael Malin and
colleagues of Malin Space Systems in California claim that
images of the Martian surface, taken several years apart,
clearly show evidence for liquid water flowing down gullies in
the walls of impact craters (Science to be published). This
first contemporary observation of liquid water on Mars provides
tantalizing evidence that the planet could possibly support
life. The search for water on Mars -- and the implications that
its discovery would have for the planet’s ability to sustain
life -- has long captivated planetary scientists and amateur
space enthusiasts alike. While the Martian landscape contains
gulley-like structures that could have been made by flowing
water, scientists have never seen direct evidence of liquid
water on the planet. Indeed, the only water d