Studies in recent decades indicate that the ocean still exists on the surface of Mars.
Researchers have long debated what happened to the water on the Red Planet existing billions of years ago. According to them, the disappearance of the oceans was facilitated by low gravity. Indeed, some of the water has passed out of Mars's orbit; although recent studies have shown that the oceans still exist on Mars, it is simply "stuck" on the surface.
"The 'escape' of water into the atmosphere has indeed played a role, but missions to Mars over the last decade have shown us that there is a huge reservoir of hydrated minerals, the formation of which has reduced the amount of water over time," Professor Bethan Elman, the Associate Director of the Keck Institute for Space Studies.
Although 30% to 99% of the water in Mars' is "locked-in" a crust, obtaining and using water for future astronauts will not be easy.
