1416: "Water on Mars"

HistorySciencePodcastNews
Written By JC

Interesting Things with JC #1416: "Water on Mars" – In 1999, light from a distant planet revealed something Earth-shaking: Mars once held oceans. The data was dry. The discovery was not.

Curriculum - Episode Anchor

Episode Title: Water on Mars

Episode Number: #1416

Host: JC

Audience: Grades 9–12, college intro, homeschool, lifelong learners

Subject Area: Astronomy, Planetary Science, Earth & Space Sciences, Geochemistry

Lesson Overview

Students will:

  • Define key scientific terms related to planetary water detection and analysis.

  • Compare water retention and hydrogen loss processes on Earth and Mars.

  • Analyze spectroscopic, geological, and seismic data used in Martian exploration.

  • Explain how the evidence of water on Mars has evolved over time with successive missions.

Key Vocabulary

  • Ultraviolet (ul-tra-VYE-oh-let) — A type of light invisible to the human eye, used by telescopes like Hubble to detect chemical signatures in planetary atmospheres.

  • Deuterium (doo-TEER-ee-um) — A heavy isotope of hydrogen. Mars has a higher ratio of deuterium to hydrogen than Earth, suggesting water loss over time.

  • Sublimate (SUHB-lih-mayt) — The process by which a solid turns directly into gas. Phoenix observed Martian ice sublimating in the thin atmosphere.

  • Hydrated Salts (HIGH-dray-tid salts) — Minerals containing water molecules. Their presence on Mars suggests past interactions with liquid water.

  • Seismic (SIZE-mik) — Related to vibrations or waves in a planet’s interior. InSight recorded seismic data suggesting liquid water may still exist underground.

Narrative Core

  • Open: NASA’s use of ultraviolet light in the 1990s uncovered the first clues of water loss on Mars.

  • Info: Hubble data showed a significant imbalance between hydrogen and deuterium in Mars’ atmosphere.

  • Details: Each subsequent mission—from Phoenix to Curiosity to Zhurong—contributed new evidence of Mars' watery past, including buried lakes, hydrated minerals, and potential ancient shorelines.

  • Reflection: Mars may not just be dry and barren—it may have once been wet, habitable, and still holds secrets in ice and stone.

  • Closing: "These are interesting things, with JC."

A high-resolution, color-enhanced image of Mars is centered against a solid black background. The planet shows shades of orange, tan, brown, and deep blue, highlighting valleys, craters, and ancient river channels. The text above the planet reads “Interesting Things with JC #1416” and in bold capital letters “WATER ON MARS.”

Transcript

Back in the late 1990s, NASA used the Hubble Space Telescope (TELL-uh-skope) to take a close look at Mars in ultraviolet (ul-tra-VYE-oh-let) light. What they found wasn’t a snapshot of rivers or lakes, but a chemical signal in the planet’s upper air. They measured hydrogen (HI-druh-jin) and a heavier version called deuterium (doo-TEER-ee-um). Out in space, sunlight breaks apart water molecules. The lighter hydrogen drifts away, while the heavier deuterium sticks around. By checking that balance, scientists could tell Mars had been losing water for billions of years.

In 1998, a team led by Vladimir Krasnopolsky (VLAD-ih-meer KRASS-no-pol-skee) reported that Mars carried much more deuterium than Earth’s oceans. That told them the planet once had far more water—maybe enough to cover the whole globe in a shallow ocean a few meters deep. Later studies showed the enrichment is about six times higher than Earth’s today. That means most of Mars’ water was lost early, but some is still locked in ice and rock.

The evidence kept piling up. In 2008, the Phoenix lander dug into the polar soil and uncovered bright chunks of ice that quickly vaporized (VAY-puh-rized) in the thin air. In 2012, the Curiosity (kyoor-ee-AH-suh-tee) rover drilled into rocks in Gale (GAYL) Crater and found clays that only form in liquid water. In 2015, orbiters spotted dark streaks running down crater slopes—at first thought to be salty water, later explained as shifting dust and hydrated (HIGH-dray-tid) salts. And in 2018, the European (YUR-oh-pee-an) Mars Express spacecraft picked up radar echoes pointing to a buried lake under the south polar ice cap, about 12 miles, or 20 kilometers (KILL-oh-meh-ters), across.

More recent missions keep adding to the story. Seismic (SIZE-mik) readings from the InSight lander suggest there may be liquid water trapped in fractured rock deep underground. Orbiters have mapped patches of ice just below the soil in Amazonis (am-uh-ZOH-nis) Planitia (pluh-NEE-shee-uh), shallow enough that a future astronaut could dig it up with a shovel. And China’s Zhurong (JOO-rong) rover turned up sandy layers in Utopia (yoo-TOH-pee-uh) Planitia shaped like ancient beaches, signs that waves once rolled against a Martian shoreline billions of years ago.

From Hubble’s first signal in 1998 to the latest rover and lander findings, each step has filled in more of the picture. Mars isn’t just a dry desert world. It’s a place that once held oceans, rivers, and maybe life itself—and still hides water in ways we’re only starting to uncover.

These are interesting things, with JC.

Student Worksheet

  1. What discovery did Vladimir Krasnopolsky's team make in 1998 about deuterium on Mars?

  2. How does the difference between hydrogen and deuterium help scientists track water loss on Mars?

  3. List at least two locations on Mars where water-related evidence has been found, and describe what was discovered.

  4. What does the presence of hydrated salts suggest about Mars' environmental past?

  5. Why is the discovery of subsurface water and ice significant for future human exploration?

Teacher Guide

Estimated Time: 60 minutes

Pre-Teaching Vocabulary Strategy:

  • Phonetic practice and definition matching for key terms

  • Use visual aids: spectrum chart (UV light), Martian terrain maps, and rover mission paths

Anticipated Misconceptions:

  • Students may confuse current vs. past water presence

  • Misinterpretation that all evidence points to large liquid oceans today, rather than in the past

  • Overestimation of “flowing” water due to imagery

Discussion Prompts:

  • Why might Mars have lost its water, while Earth kept most of its own?

  • What kinds of evidence are strongest in proving Mars had water?

  • How do space missions build upon one another’s findings?

Differentiation Strategies:

  • ESL: Provide picture glossary and guided listening with pause points

  • IEP: Scaffold questions using sentence starters and visual outlines

  • Gifted: Challenge to propose a hypothetical experiment for confirming subsurface water today

Extension Activities:

  • Create a timeline from 1998–2023 highlighting major Mars discoveries related to water

  • Use infrared or UV light experiments in the lab to explore how different materials reflect or absorb energy

Cross-Curricular Connections:

  • Chemistry: Isotopes and molecular behavior

  • Geography: Martian and Earth landform comparisons

  • Engineering: Design a prototype tool for extracting water from Martian soil

Quiz

Q1. What type of light did Hubble use to study Mars' atmosphere?
A. Infrared
B. Ultraviolet
C. Visible
D. X-ray
Answer: B

Q2. What does a higher amount of deuterium on Mars suggest?
A. There was never water
B. Water formed recently
C. Mars has lost significant water
D. Deuterium causes ice
Answer: C

Q3. What was found in Gale Crater by the Curiosity rover?
A. Frozen nitrogen
B. Lava tubes
C. Clays formed in liquid water
D. Living organisms
Answer: C

Q4. What did Phoenix observe in the polar soil?
A. Methane vents
B. Liquid lakes
C. Ice sublimating
D. Frozen sand
Answer: C

Q5. What did the Zhurong rover discover in Utopia Planitia?
A. Large glaciers
B. Sandy layers shaped like ancient beaches
C. Salt domes
D. Volcanic rock
Answer: B

Assessment

  1. Summarize how Hubble’s detection of deuterium shaped our understanding of Mars’ water history.

  2. Explain how evidence from missions like Phoenix, Curiosity, and Zhurong contributes to the idea that Mars once had oceans or seas.

3–2–1 Rubric:

  • 3 = Accurate, complete, thoughtful

  • 2 = Partial or missing detail

  • 1 = Inaccurate or vague

Standards Alignment

NGSS (Next Generation Science Standards)

  • HS-ESS1-6: Apply scientific reasoning to link evidence to planetary histories.

  • HS-ESS2-2: Analyze geoscience data to explain surface processes on Earth and other planets.

  • HS-PS4-3: Evaluate the claims and evidence supporting the use of digital tools like spectrographs in analyzing wave data.

Common Core (ELA-Literacy)

  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RST.11-12.7: Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in diverse formats and media.

  • CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.11-12.1: Cite strong textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says explicitly.

ISTE Standards

  • 1.3 Knowledge Constructor: Students evaluate and curate information to construct a meaningful understanding using digital tools.

  • 1.6 Creative Communicator: Students communicate complex ideas clearly using appropriate formats.

UK National Curriculum (KS4 Science)

  • Physics – Space Physics: Evidence of conditions on planets through remote sensing and spectroscopy.

  • Chemistry – Earth and atmospheric science: Analyzing changes in planetary atmospheres over time.

IB MYP Science

  • Criterion B: Inquiring and designing – Formulate scientific questions and design investigations about planetary environments.

  • Criterion D: Reflecting on the impacts of science – Analyze the implications of scientific discoveries across time and cultures.

Cambridge IGCSE Physics (0625)

  • 3.4 Electromagnetic Spectrum: Use of UV light in remote sensing and astronomy.

Show Notes

In Episode #1416 of Interesting Things with JC, “Water on Mars,” JC guides listeners through the history of discoveries that transformed Mars from a dry red planet into a world with a watery past. From Hubble's ultraviolet data in the 1990s to seismic and radar data collected by InSight, Curiosity, and international missions like China’s Zhurong rover, scientists have pieced together a compelling timeline of Martian water. The findings include subsurface ice, hydrated minerals, ancient shorelines, and possible underground lakes. This episode is perfect for classroom exploration of how science builds over decades through cumulative data, evolving tools, and international collaboration—all aimed at answering one big question: Did Mars ever have the right conditions for life?

References

JC https://jimconnors.org
Previous

1417: "Dr. Green’s Light"
Next

1415: "The 21st Night of September"