Discovering alien life is the holy grail of space exploration. NASA just announced that its researchers have found liquid salt water flowing on the surface of Mars.

The agency called a news conference for Monday to reveal that liquid water, one of the essential ingredients for life has been discovered on the red planet. According to NASA, salty liquid water flows seasonally on Mars, giving the red planet one of the essential ingredients for life.

“The discovery was made by NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spacecraft, wich spotted some mysterious recurring slope lineae, or “RSL” on the planet’s surface,” researchers wrote in the Nature Geoscience paper published online Monday.

“These soggy streaks suggest that there are vast reserves of underground water, presumably the last remains of lakes that may have once dotted the landscapes of this planet,” said Seth Shostak, senior astronomer and director of the Center for SETI Research.

“Consequently, if life began billions of years ago during Mars’ more clement youth, its progeny could still be hiding out a few feet underfoot,” he said. “That would make the task of finding some red planet biology far easier.”

Researchers aren’t sure whether the water is flowing from a local aquifer, melting ice or another source,” NASA said. This is the first reliable evidence of liquid water on the surface today.

The idea that surface water exists in any form raises one important question: Are we on the brink of finding extraterrestrial life?

What do you think? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below!

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