That there is water on Mars is now official. Nasa’s discovery of ‘liquid water’ on the surface of Mars marks a watershed in Martian exploration and renews interest in the intriguing planet. It is significant for throwing up the possibility of emergence of life on the Red planet and keeping alive the dream of its colonisation by earthlings in some distant future. The pictures of the surface of Mars look stunningly beautiful and show up the planet to be almost like our own.
From the beginning of earth-bound history, Mars, with its red glow, has caught our imagination and inspired us to weave fantasy and fiction. Now, the task of mapping Mars and studying its topographic variations is a work in progress.
With its thin atmosphere, consisting of 96 per cent carbon dioxide and three per cent nitrogen, the conditions on Mars are probably similar to the composition of the primeval atmosphere of the Earth.
There is the likelihood of developing the technology and mobilising funds for sending people to Mars. While space-powers may succeed in sending man to Mars, the habitation of that planet as an additional home is easy, as it is a freezing barren desert with huge dry canyons and towering volcanoes.