NASA's 'major science finding' about Mars probably has to do with water

Images of Mars' Echus Chasma, captured by the European Space Agency
(Image credit: ESA via Getty)

Late last week, NASA announced a news conference on Monday at 11:30 a.m. (EDT) to "detail a major science finding from the agency's ongoing exploration of Mars." People, of course, immediately got excited about the potential discovery of life on Mars, and NASA's brief press release didn't discourage or encourage such speculation.

Still, there are clues in the makeup of the panel: NASA planetary science director Jim Green; Michael Meyer, lead scientist for the Mars Exploration Program; Lujendra Ojha at the Georgia Institute of Technology; Mary Beth Wilhelm of NASA's Ames Research Center and the Georgia Institute of Technology; and Alfred McEwen, principal investigator for the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment at the University of Arizona in Tucson.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.