The search for water on Mars

The possibility of water on Mars has captured human imagination for over a century. In this free course, The Search for Water on Mars, find out more about how scientists have found evidence for water in the red planet’s past and present, and what this might mean for the possibility of life beyond Earth.

• Introduction
• 1 Observing Mars from Earth
• 1 Observing Mars from Earth
• 2 Why search for water?
• 2 Why search for water?
• 2.1 Why is water so important?
• Surface tension
• Specific heat capacity
• Water as a solvent
• Water’s key properties
• 3 How do we find water on Mars?
• 3 How do we find water on Mars?
• 3.1 The shape of the martian surface
• 3.2 A record in the rocks
• 4 The search is on!
• 4 The search is on!
• 4.1 How it all began: a tale of why resolution matters
• 4.2 Viking 1 and 2: looking for life but finding water!
• 4.3 Meteorites – rock samples from Mars!
• Water in meteorites
• 4.4 The 1990s revival
• 4.5 Next generation – detecting water from space
• Mars Odyssey
• Mars Express
• 4.6 Landing robotic geologists on Mars
• 4.7 Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
• 4.8 Phoenix Lander – a better look at the polar region
• 4.9 Rolling on the ground again: MSL
• New rovers arrive!
• 4.10 Observations from space continue
• 5 Pulling the evidence together
• 5 Pulling the evidence together
• Conclusion
• Glossary
• References
• Acknowledgements