Chinese scientists have revealed evidence of the existence of liquid water on the surface of Mars, thanks to data collected by the Zhurong robot, which has been exploring the neighboring planet since 2021.

The experts, who published their study in the scientific journal “Advances in Science and Research,” assure that the Zhurong discovered crusts, cracks, granulations and other marks caused by water on the surface of Mars, local newspaper Global Times reported today. .

Similarly, the analyzes performed indicate that in the Martian dunes there are minerals containing water, such as hydrated sulfates, protein stones and hydrated iron oxides.

“We believe that the signs of water do not originate from groundwater, but from snowfall or frost,” said study author Qin Xiaoguang, quoted by the paper.

The existence of liquid water on the red planet has been the subject of numerous studies, as if confirmed it would serve to better understand the evolution of the Martian climate and to predict a possible human migration to the planet in the future to support.

According to the local newspaper Science and Technology Daily, liquid water on Mars could indicate the existence of life.

Previous studies have shown that liquid water once existed on the surface of Mars, but that it disappeared due to the meteorological changes the planet experienced.

This study reveals that Mars could still be home to some wetlands in areas of low latitudes and relatively warm temperatures, according to the scientists.

Last September, Chinese experts, partly based on the data collected by the Zhurong, discovered layers of Martian terrain formed about 3.3 billion years ago.

The Zhurong is part of the Tianwen-1 mission, which also includes an orbiter spacecraft and a landing module.

Tianwen-1 is the first Chinese exploration mission to Mars and aims to find more evidence for the existence of water or ice on that planet. as well as researching the material composition of the surface or the characteristics of the climate.

In recent years, Beijing has invested heavily in its space program, with successes such as the Chang’e 4 lunar probe, which landed on the far side of the moon in January 2019, a milestone never reached in the history of space. .