Hey Space Placers!
As usual, Google says it all https://g.co/doodle/m4fgh2 when there is a major space event.
Scroll through the headlines and stories to get the background and latest on NASA's 9/28/15 announcement that "a mystery on Mars had been solved". The mystery being the cause of long, dark streaks found at numerous craters and hills on Mars during certain times - read seasons - on Mars.
Due to the combined work of various NASA spacecraft studying Mars, scientists were able to definitely say that these dark streaks are liquid, but briny (salty) water areas. These are not fast flowing streams but areas where the Martian soil has become wet due to the presence of liquid water.
What makes this announcement so important is that we are now talking about liquid water on PRESENT DAY Mars and not in the distant or geological past.
Of course the presence of liquid water is necessary for life as we know it to exist AND can provide a valuable resource for future astronauts on the Red Planet.
Social Media (SM), especially the Twitterverse was abuzz about what the announcement would be about and some guessed it right about being water related. There were political comments made in the media that tried to align the announcement with "left wing" elements - unreal. Some also had comments about how NASA had characterized this announcement as being "major" when they didn't think it was.
But the Red Planet beckons us to keep observing, learning and sending new missions and one day, ourselves.
Sky Guy in RAIN SOAKED VA with a LOT more to come in the next week!!
PS - Clouded out for the Eclipse but had a GREAT audience at Shenandoah National Park
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