Not to be a downer but my reaction to the recent Nasa announcement about liquid water on Mars was a bit different (although to be clear, it is
an exciting discovery). A more suspicious individual might wonder about
funding pressure and the timing of this announcement with the
theatrical release of a spectacular movie, the Martian, but we won't go there.
I remember a lecture from a University of Michigan professor I attended 5 years ago
about how one of the rover pictures almost certainly captured a briny
flow on the surface of Mars. I also remember all kinds of announcements
about water on Mars growing up. So, I turned to Wikipedia and was not
disappointed:
Chronology of discoveries of water on Mars
Turns out someone has actually cataloged this! It is an interesting read for all of you space nerds out there.
Clear skies!
