Maybe a Chinese traveler Zhurong died from dusty solar panels, but while the rover was at work, it discovered potential evidence of water on Mars. Magazine Science Advances published an article detailing “the crusts, cracks, aggregates and shiny polygonal ridges on the surfaces of wet salt dunes” visited by the rover last week.

The most likely cause of these features is believed to be “salt water from melting frost/snow”. The article points out that Zhurong visited the very low latitudes of Mars, where temperatures could reach -5°C, causing very salty ice to form and then melt back into the dunes, causing cracks and crusts that the rover observed.

It’s still a long way from finding water on Mars, but the paper explains: “This discovery sheds light on the more humid conditions of the modern Martian climate and provides important clues for future research missions to look for signs of current life, particularly at low latitudes. with surface temperatures”.