NASA has confirmed that they have found the first evidence of water on Mars. "New findings from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) provide the strongest evidence yet that liquid water flows intermittently on present-day Mars," NASA announced yesterday.

Using data from the MRO and a new analysis technique (imaging spectrometer), scientists detected the presence of hydrated minerals in the mysterious streaks found on slopes. This discovery comes after years of research regarding the presence of streaks of narrow dark slopes found on many cliffs in the Red Planet, particularly during the warmer summer months. The streaks, known as recurring slope lineae (RSL), were first observed in 2011.

This discovery validates what has long been suspected. "This is a significant development, as it appears to confirm that water – albeit briny – is flowing today on the surface of Mars," NASA astronaut, John Grunsfeld, said.

These findings were published in the journal, "Nature Geoscience," last Sept. 28. Lead researcher, Lujendra Ohja from Georgia Tech, revealed that the presence of hydrated salts suggest that the dark streaks or a process that forms the dark streaks is the source of hydration. The presence of hydrated salts indicates that water plays a vital role in the formation of the RSL.

However, it is believed that the water found on Mars is only likely to be a shallow subsurface flow. It is also briny and dense which means that no terrestrial organism could survive on it. The source of the water has yet to be discovered.

Nevertheless, the discovery is one of the breakthroughs that have resulted from NASA's Mars missions. "It took multiple spacecraft over several years to solve the mystery, and now we know there is liquid water on the surface of this cold, desert planet," Michael Meyer, lead scientist for the Mars Exploration Program, said.

NASA has plans to launch the next Mars rover in 2020. Given the recent breakthroughs about the planet Mars, there is now more reason to investigate the planet further in order to answer the age-old question, "does life exist beyond Earth?" NASA hopes that by 2030, they will be able to send a Mars Expedition to determine the planet's viability for life.