Water on Mars and the Prospect of Martian Life

Evidence of water on Mars dates back to the first observations of channeled landscapes made by Mariner 9 and Viking. More recent images from Mars Global Surveyor and Mars Express strikingly confirm that fluids have sculpted the Martian surface at least episodically through its history. The Mars Exploration Rovers Opportunity and Spirit have added evidence for extensive rock–water chemical interactions in the regions where these remote geologists landed, while OMEGA and THEMIS have shown that similar processes took place in many parts of the planet. Because of the close relationship between water and biological activity on Earth, such observations have been taken as hopeful signs that Mars, as well, might once have supported life and, indeed, might still do so in subterranean oases. There is, however, much more to consider. Water appears to be neces- sary for life, at least as it exists on Earth and can be contemplated on Mars, but it does not, by itself, insure habitability. In this paper, we review the broader requirements for biological activity as they relate to water and use these to constrain astrobiological inferences about Mars.