NASA investigates Martian underground lake theory

In 2015, ESA’s Mars Express Orbiter captured an image of Mars’ south polar ice cap. Three years later, the Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionospheric Sounding (MARSIS) instrument on the spacecraft detected a bright signal from the area. The nature of the signal made scientists suspect that there was an underground lake beneath the ice.

NASA’s MRO revisited the area. After years of trying to peer into such depth, scientists finally hacked it with the very large roll technique. The technique involves a special maneuver that rolls the spacecraft 120 degrees. This made it possible for the Shallow Radar (SHARAD) instrument on MRO to detect signals from below the ice.

Interestingly, SHARAD picked up a faint signal. The faintness of the signal indicates that it is unlikely that liquid water is present under the ice cap. The scientists carrying out this research suggested that what was thought to be an underground lake is more likely to be a layer of rock and dust. They hypothesized that the bright signal MARSIS detected in 2018 could have been from unusually smooth rock beneath the ice.

The scientists intend to use the very large roll technique to view other areas beneath the Martian surface — for example, the Medusae Fossae. Such studies could be crucial in finding areas with nearby water, which would be ideal for astronauts to work and live. This paper was published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters on November 17.

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