NASA Shared An Image Of A Mysterious Hole On Mars, And It Could Be Proof Of Life On The Red Planet

In March 2020 NASA gave us a fascinating insight into the surface of Mars. That’s because they shared an image of a peculiar hole cutting into the Red Planet. The picture in question was taken back in 2011 – and what it showed led experts to wonder if there really could be life on Mars.

The curious hole had opened up a world of possibilities for those who study Mars. However, it had actually been discovered quite by accident when it was snapped by the HiRISE instrument which goes around the planet aboard the unmanned Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. Though unexpected, the find led to years of research.

As a result, experts have determined that the hole in question is around 115 feet wide and 65 feet deep. And that got researchers thinking that the cavern could be a very special place in the otherwise hostile environment on Mars. In particular, they wondered if the crater could prove the existence of Martians.

The possibility of life on Mars has been the subject of fascination for many years. Martians have appeared in literature, comic books, television and films for a number of decades, capturing the imagination of sci-fi lovers. And there is actually some evidence to suggest that there was once life on the Red Planet.

But before we get to that, let’s take a look at Mars more broadly. Named after the Roman deity associated with war, the planet is among the smallest in our Solar System, second only to Mercury. Known as the “Red Planet” due to its coloring, Mars has a lean atmosphere and desert-like outer layer.

While the landscape of Mars may, at a glance, seem quite unlike that of Earth, there are actually similarities between the two planets. For example, both bodies experience similar seasons, and they also sport polar ice caps. Meanwhile, Mars is home to extinct volcanoes, which serve as a reminder of the planet’s previous activity.

As far as human space exploration goes, Mars is one of the most visited planets in our Solar System. In fact, it’s a unique planet in that rovers have been placed there to traipse around the surface. Numerous missions have focused on the Red Planet, with the first successful flyby conducted by the Mariner 4 craft back in the mid-1960s.

On its mission to Mars, Mariner 4 was able to measure the body’s radiation belt. Additionally, it also captured the first photographs of a different planet taken in deep space. However, a Viking 1 mission in 1976 went further still, being the first craft to ever land successfully on the Martian landscape.

The first robot set loose on Mars arrived in 1997, when the Mars Pathfinder spacecraft placed the Sojourner rover on the surface. More missions to the Red Planet followed, helping to build up a vivid picture of its distinct atmosphere and terrain. The data obtained on these missions has produced extremely detailed maps of Mars, many of which are now viewable online.

One area of specific interest to scientists is the notion of life on Mars. The possibility of the planet being able to sustain organisms is particularly prevalent due to its similarities to Earth. Furthermore, many astrobiologists believe that the Red Planet could even shed light on the origins of life itself.

That’s because, with its cold climate and lack of plate tectonics, Mars hasn’t changed for millions of years. In fact, somewhere close to 65 percent of the Red Planet’s exterior layer is thought to date back over 3.5 billion years. As such, it could be compared to an earlier version of Earth and may therefore experience the same prebiotic conditions that spawned life here.

Currently, the harsh conditions on the surface of Mars cannot sustain life. The planet doesn’t have a global magnetic field to protect it from solar and cosmic radiation. Some scientists believe that this lack of shielding enabled solar winds to sweep much of Mars’ atmosphere away across billions of years.

So, while experts aren’t expecting to find life on Mars presently, they are looking for signs from the past. You see, some believe that the Red Planet may have been a suitable habitat for some lifeforms when it had a warmer climate, was wetter, and enjoyed a thicker atmosphere. But that was several billion years ago.

However, life requires water – and there’s been some evidence to suggest that this has been present on Mars. Observations indicate that the surface of the Red Planet once featured rivers and oceans. As a result, in this wetter and warmer phase, Mars may have been able to sustain some form of microbial life.

But because Mars has a lower level of gravity and a more meager atmosphere than Earth, it’s believed that its water evaporated and was lost to space. Today, though, some of the rare signs that water was once present on Mars include sedimentary bands and mudstones. These would have been formed in wet conditions.

Furthermore, data gathered by NASA’s Curiosity rover determined that water can bubble up to the surface of Mars, where it then becomes frost. In turn, that liquid may carry organisms from deep within the planet. However, once life reaches the desolate landscape, it’d have a hard time surviving the harsh conditions it would meet.

In order to survive the increasing levels of radiation on Mars, scientists have speculated that lifeforms would have needed to retreat underground. Which brings us back to that funny-looking hole pictured by NASA on its 2011 Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter mission. That’s because the cavern could provide an ideal form of protection for any form of Martian life.

The hole is located on the Pavonis Mons, a volcano on Mars. Situated by the Martian equator, Pavonis Mons is 8.7 miles in height – making it even taller than Mount Everest. The distinct feature is what’s known as a shield volcano, which is formed when tiers of lava cool atop each other to eventually create a peak.

The Martian volcano was first located by the Mariner 9 craft back in 1971. For a time, it was known as the Middle Spot before being named Pavonis Mons – which translates from Latin as “peacock mountain” – in 1973. However, it wasn’t until the invention of the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) that researchers would get a more detailed look at the geographical feature.

The HiRISE was developed by Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp and a team at the University of Arizona. It’s worth an impressive $40 million and weighs a mighty 143 pounds. It features the largest aperture reflecting telescope that has ever been used in deep space. As a result, it can capture the Martian surface in spectacular clarity.

The HiRISE is situated aboard the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, which has been orbiting the Red Planet since March 2006. With the help of its many tools and gizmos, the craft is helping scientists to build up a detailed picture of Mars. Moreover, it will help to inform future missions to the celestial body.

Over the years, the HiRISE has captured a number of significant images of Mars. And some of these may even point to potential water sources for colonists down the line. Among the intriguing snaps gathered by the space camera was the one of the peculiar hole on the slopes of Pavonis Mons.

The amazing image in question depicts a golden desert-like landscape with a large crater punctuating the otherwise seemingly flat surface of Mars. At the center of the bowl lies an opening, which is said to be around 115 feet wide. The hole leads to a cavern about 65 feet down below the exterior of the planet.

The photograph was subsequently studied by scientists from the Lunar & Planetary Laboratory at the University of Arizona. And they speculated that the material that once had filled the crater had subsequently slipped into the hole, forming a build-up of debris within the cave. Using a digital model, researchers posited that this heap stands at more than 200 feet in height. Its upper end, then, would be 90 or so feet beneath the upper fringes of the hole.

Given that the cavern has been filled with debris from the surface of the planet, scientists speculated that the underground hole was once much deeper – at around 295 feet. With that in mind, the cavity is therefore bigger than a majority of caves here on Earth. As a result, the hole is of great geographical interest.

The caves on Earth bigger than this one on Mars were formed by water dissolving limestone beneath the surface. However, it’s unlikely that the hole on Mars was created this way, as both of these substances are more scarce on the Red Planet. So, the hole must have formed some other way.

Given its proximity to Pavonis Mons, scientists believe that the cavern – and others like it – could have formed on Mars because of volcanism. As we’ve covered, shield volcanoes are formed by a series of lava flows which cool atop one another. However, flowing lava also creates holes as it travels to the surface of the volcano.

As lava cools and hardens it forms a seared crust which, in turn, allows for a cavern to continue standing. It’s through this structure, then, that molten lava can travel. After the flow stops, the holes are left behind in the rock, forming massive voids like the one seen on Pavonis Mons. They are known to scientists as “lava tubes.”

Furthermore, it’s believed that Pavonis Mons could play host to a large network of lava tubes hidden beneath the surface of Mars. After all, we have similar holes caused by volcanic activity here on Earth, such as in places like the Galapagos Islands, Iceland and Hawaii. So, the geographical features are not completely alien to researchers.

What makes the suspected presence of lava tubes on Mars particularly exciting is the potential they hold for future missions to the planet. You see, some experts think that they are key places to look for signs of Martian life. And it’s also thought that the vast caverns could provide shelter for human visitors in the future.

The usage of caves as shelter on manned missions to Mars was put forward at 2017’s European Planetary Science Congress. It was posited by a team of researchers headed up by Riccardo Pozzobon from Italy’s University of Padova. As part of their work, they compared lava tube caves on Earth with similar caverns on Mars and the Moon.

Pozzobon discussed his team’s findings in a statement released via the Europlanet Media Centre. Here, he explained how gravity appeared to have a huge affect on the size of the caves. That’s because the lava tubes on Earth were significantly smaller than those on Mars – where there’s less gravitational pressure.

Commenting on the find, Pozzobon revealed, “The comparison of terrestrial, lunar and Martian examples shows that, as you might expect, gravity has a big effect on the size of lava tubes... On Earth, they can be up to [98 feet] across. In the lower gravity environment of Mars, we see evidence for lava tubes that are [820 feet] in width.”

These apparent lava tubes are thought to form the largest underground spaces on Mars. As such, they could be used to shield space travelers from the planet’s harsh environment. However, they may also help scientists to determine whether there is – or ever has been – life on the Red Planet. So, it seems that their importance cannot be overstated.

Pozzobon explained, “These results have important implications for habitability and human exploration of the Moon, but also for the search for extraterrestrial life on Mars. Lava tubes are environments shielded from cosmic radiation and protected from micrometeorites, potentially providing safe habitats for future human missions. They are also, potentially, large enough for quite significant human settlements.”

NASA’s release of the suspected lava tube image came in the lead up to a new Mars mission, which has been planned to launch in July 2020. Known simply as Mars 2020, the purpose of the undertaking is to look for signs of life on Mars. However, the robotic rover also aims to help astronauts reach the Red Planet in the future.

With that in mind, it’s fair to say that humanity is probably closer to reaching Mars than ever before. In fact, in 2017 President Donald Trump said he wanted to see NASA reach the Red Planet by 2033. And in response, the space agency revealed a comprehensive strategy of how they plan to eventually get a person on Mars.

However, actually sending people to Mars won’t come cheap. Based on current technologies, the cost of a round-trip to the Red Planet is estimated to land anywhere from $100 billion to $500 billion. Such a mission would be extremely demanding on astronauts, too, requiring them to be sealed into a spacecraft for years.

Furthermore, with nowhere to stop between Earth and the Red Planet, a space crew would need to travel with everything they need to stay healthy for a journey lasting two or three years. This includes the food, air and water they’d require for the duration. There’d also be no chance of an emergency return once the craft passed a certain point.

So, while NASA has very real plans of reaching Mars with a manned mission, there are still many obstacles to overcome. For now, everything we can learn about the Red Planet is vital in how we understand how life can be sustained there. And perhaps the intriguing image of Mars’ suspected lava holes will form part of that picture.