THE possibility of life on Mars just became a little more realistic: Mars has a summer season when salty streams of water flow across the surface, before freezing again in winter, NASA announced Monday.

    “Our quest on Mars has been to ‘follow the water,’ in our search for life in the universe, and now we have convincing science that validates what we’ve long suspected,” said John Grunsfeld, astronaut and associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate in Washington. “This is a significant development, as it appears to confirm that water is flowing on the surface of Mars.”

    Scientists confirmed in 2008 that frozen water exists on Mars. New data from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter satellite indicate that some liquid water has survived as well — leaving a chance that some form of Martian life has, too. Traces of hydrated salts and slopes resembling erosion on Martian hills indicate that salty, perchlorate water flows along the surface in warmer seasons.

    Mars has a more eccentric solar orbit than Earth, which means that water could exist on the surface during the hotter summers, then possibly freezes and disappears during the colder seasons.

    This discovery makes it look more habitable for humans explorers, said Mary Beth Wilhelm, a scientist at NASA’s Ames Research Center. (SD-Agencies)