The Phoenix lander's 2008 Mars observations of droplets on its legs and evidence of atmospheric exchange with liquid water: Difference between revisions
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The Phoenix lander's 2008 Mars observations of droplets on its legs and evidence of atmospheric exchange with liquid water (edit)
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[[File:Phoenix landing2.jpg|thumb|Artist's impression of the Phoenix Lander settling down on Mars.<br><br>Its measurements of isotope ratios of carbon and oxygen gave evidence for liquid water on the surface now or in the recent geological past.<ref name=phoenixisotope>[http://uanews.org/story/phoenix-mars-lander-finds-surprises-about-planet%E2%80%99s-watery-past Phoenix Mars Lander Finds Surprises About Planet’s Watery Past] University of Arizona news, By Daniel Stolte, University Communications, and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory | September 9, 2010</ref>.<br><br>Its observations of possible droplets on its legs suggested new ways that water could be stable temporarily on Mars.<ref name=phoenix_droplets_2009>[https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn16620-first-liquid-water-may-have-been-spotted-on-mars.html?full=true#.VRReJ_msV8E First liquid water may have been spotted on Mars], New Scientist, February 2009 by David Shiga</ref> These observations lead many scientists to reassess the present habitability of Mars]]
he [[Phoenix (spacecraft) | Phoenix lander]]. It landed in what is thought to be an ancient ocean bed near the north pole, the first and so far the only spacecraft to land successfully in polar regions. It observed droplet-like features that formed on its landing legs<ref name="phoenix_droplets_2009" />.
Until 2008, most scientists thought that there was no possibility of liquid water on Mars for any length of time in the current conditions there. However, in 2008 through to 2009, droplets were observed on the landing legs of Phoenix.
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Unfortunately, it wasn't equipped to analyse them but the leading theory is that these were droplets of salty water.<ref name=phoenix_droplets_2009/> They were observed to grow, darken and coalesce<ref>Staff writers, "The Salty Tears Of Phoenix Show Liquid Water On Mars", Mars Daily, Ann Arbor MI (SPX) Mar 19, 2009</ref>, and then disappear, presumably as a result of falling off the legs.
In December 2013, Nilton Renno<ref name="NiltonRennoFaculty" /> and his team using the Michigan Mars Environmental Chamber were able to simulate the conditions at its landing site and the droplets<ref name="MicheganMars">https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283504377_The_Michigan_Mars_Environmental_Chamber_Preliminary_Results_and_Capabilities</ref>. They formed salty brines within minutes when salt overlaid ice, with the salt, especially perchlorates, acting as an "antifreeze"<ref name="GoughChevrier2014" />. The team concluded that suitable conditions for brine droplets may be widespread in the polar regions<ref name="salt_ice">[http://www.astrobio.net/news-brief/liquid-water-ice-salt-mars/ Liquid Water from Ice and Salt on Mars], Aaron L. Gronstal -Astrobiology Magazine (NASA), Jul 3, 2014</ref><ref name="salt_ice_paper">Fischer, E., Martínez, G.M., Elliott, H.M. and Rennó, N.O., 2014. [https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/2014GL060302 Experimental evidence for the formation of liquid saline water on Mars]. Geophysical research letters, 41(13), pp.4456-4462.</ref>. Nilton Renno talks about their results in this video
<youtube width="540" height="315">iLWv9UGwjdE</youtube>
The Phoenix droplets may have formed on mixtures of salt and ice that were thrown up onto its legs when it landed. <ref name=salt_ice/><ref name=salt_ice_paper/>
===Phoenix isotope evidence of liquid water on the Mars surface in the recent geological past===
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