Does Proof Of Ancient Oceans On Mars Ensure That Life Once Existed There

SIGNS OF ANCIENT OCEAN ON MARS SPOTTED BY EUROPEAN SPACECRAFTBy SPACE.com2-6-2012 A European spacecraft orbiting Mars has found more revealing evidence that an ocean may have covered parts of the Red Planet billions of years ago.The European Space Agency's Mars Express spacecraft detected sediments on Mars' northern plains that are reminiscent of an ocean floor, in a region that has also previously been identified as the site of ancient Martian shorelines, the researchers said."We interpret these as sedimentary deposits, maybe ice-rich," study leader J'er'emie Mouginot, of the Institut de Plan'etologie et d'Astrophysique de Grenoble (IPAG) in France and the University of California, Irvine, said in a statement. "It is a strong new indication that there was once an ocean here."As part of its mission, Mars Express uses a radar instrument, called MARSIS, to probe beneath the Martian surface and search for liquid and solid water in the upper portions of the planet's crust....... More See Also:VIDEO The Search for Life on Mars Begins: NASA Launches Extraterrestrial Explorer, CuriosityVIDEO Mars Curiosity: The 'Super Bowl' of Space Quests VIDEO Will The Mars Curiosity Rover Finally Provide Proof of Extraterrestrial Life? SHARE YOUR UFO EXPERIENCE HELP SUPPORT THIS SITE ABOUT DONATIONSGrab this Headline Animator