NASA may soon announce evidence of life on Mars

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is holding a conference tonight gathering many experts, announcing major scientific discoveries on Mars.

Traces believed to be dried salt tracks on Mars. Photo: Reddit

According to News, NASA's top scientists such as planetary science director Jim Green and Mars Exploration Project manager Michael Meyer will present at the conference. In addition, there will be many researchers from American universities.

Many hope the conference will confirm the existence of extraterrestrial life, as the most compelling evidence to date is NASA’s discovery of flowing water on the red planet. Jujendra Ojha, a PhD candidate in planetary science at the Georgia Institute of Technology, discovered possible flowing salt water on Mars in 2011.

According to CNN, Ojha, then 21, was a researcher at the University of Arizona, using a computer algorithm to remove image distortions from satellite images of Mars. When Ojha compared changes on Mars over time, he accidentally discovered many irregular streaks appearing and disappearing on the Martian surface.

“When I first saw them, I couldn’t figure out what they were. I just thought they were dust or something,” Ojha said. After months of research, he concluded that the streaks appeared to be dried salt, caused by the evaporation of salty Martian water after months of warm weather.

Planetary geologist Matthew Chojnacki of the University of Arizona agrees with the seasonal flow theory on Mars. He describes the streaks Ojha mentions as "multiple narrow, black veins that flow down Martian slopes from high rocky outcrops."

“We watched them grow, fade, and reappear each year, taking the same orbital images for comparison,” Chojnacki wrote. The phenomenon also occurs in Antarctica during the hottest summer months, when “streams” form from saltwater on steep slopes, he said.

Nigel Watson, author of In Search of UFOs, said he hopes NASA will announce the discovery of life on Mars.

"For conspiracy theorists, they wonder if NASA is going to announce that artifacts or structures found in Mars images are real, or if NASA has found some alien habitat," Watson said. While he wishes NASA would announce something like that, Watson admitted that tomorrow's meeting is related to the discovery of salty water on Mars.

"It looks like they found water on Mars. That's the coolest thing because it suggests that there's a possibility that life once existed on Mars, or had the potential to develop on this planet."

The last time NASA held a scientific conference like this was at the end of July, when it announced the discovery of a "second Earth" - Kepler 452b. The conference will be held at 3:30 (UTC), or 10:30 Vietnam time, at NASA headquarters in Washington, USA.

According to VnExpress