--- title: Aldrin: Water on Mars Is Another Small Step for Humankind description: This week's discovery brings us closer to settling the Red Planet canonical: https://time.com/4054852/buzz-aldrin-water-on-mars/ author: Buzz Aldrin article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-09-29T20:38:44.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:41:39.340Z article:section: Ideas og:title: Buzz Aldrin: Water on Mars Is Another Small Step for Humankind og:description: This week's discovery brings us closer to settling the Red Planet og:url: https://time.com/4054852/buzz-aldrin-water-on-mars/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb534002a144a3172/69886615cf40a8abaec3ff8b/mars2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1772 og:image:height: 997 og:image:alt: In this handout provided by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, dark, narrow streaks on the slopes of Hale Crater are inferred to be formed by seasonal flow of water on surface of present-day Mars. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Buzz Aldrin: Water on Mars Is Another Small Step for Humankind twitter:description: This week's discovery brings us closer to settling the Red Planet twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb534002a144a3172/69886615cf40a8abaec3ff8b/mars2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Buzz Aldrin: Water on Mars Is Another Small Step for Humankind > Sponsored content. 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Inside TIME is the newsletter where TIME's Editor-in-Chief explains cover selection and the editorial reasoning behind major stories. It is free at time.com/newsletters. #### Who is the editor of TIME? Sam Jacobs is TIME's Editor-in-Chief. He writes Inside TIME, a twice-weekly newsletter about the newsroom's reporting and editorial decisions. #### Is Inside TIME free? Yes. Inside TIME is a free newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. ## Video: Know Right Now: Liquid Water Found on Mars [Watch (HLS stream): Know Right Now: Liquid Water Found on Mars](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/de4CvA5e.m3u8) (1:01)  _Published 2015-09-28. NASA announced that scientists have found evidence of liquid water on present-day Mars_  by [Buzz Aldrin](https://time.com/author/buzz-aldrin/)  ## Buzz Aldrin Sep 29, 2015 8:38 PM UTC  In this handout provided by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, dark, narrow streaks on the slopes of Hale Crater are inferred to be formed by seasonal flow of water on surface of present-day Mars. In this handout provided by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, dark, narrow streaks on the slopes of Hale Crater are inferred to be formed by seasonal flow of water on surface of present-day Mars. NASA—Getty Images  by [Buzz Aldrin](https://time.com/author/buzz-aldrin/)  ## Buzz Aldrin Sep 29, 2015 8:38 PM UTC For future Martians there was great news this week. Mars researchers revealed the strongest evidence yet that [liquid water](http://time.com/4051985/mars-water-nasa-announcement/) is flowing on the Red Planet. That prospect can help sustain humanity’s presence there and establish a growing settlement on that world. Water is the elixir of life. And using this vital resource further bolsters my plan to establish [Cycling Pathways to Occupy Mars](http://time.com/4029946/buzz-aldrin-time-travel-when-would-you-go-what-would-you-see/). So the _good news_ is that there’s water. But the _bad news_ is that it’s poisonous water. The running water on Mars is briny, rather than pure, and loaded with deadly perchlorates. Nevertheless, the treatment and processing of that water—as well as making use of subsurface reservoirs of ice and tapping possible underground aquifers—that all adds up to the ability of humans to live off the land: Marsland. A water supply on Mars could enable the growing of vegetation and edible foods, and perhaps the cultivation of protein-rich fish. ### See Mysterious Photos of Water on the Surface of Mars  Recurring slope lineae (RSL) are a type of dark streak seen on Martian slopes and are thought to form from flow of liquid water. This image shows RSL in the Aram Chaos, acquired on Jan. 11, 2015. NASA/JPL/University of Arizona  This image shows the central peak in Porter Crater, acquired on April 17, 2015. NASA/JPL/University of Arizona  RSL may be due to active seeps of water. These dark flows are abundant along the steep slopes of ancient bedrock in Coprates Chasma. Acquired on Dec. 31, 2013. NASA/JPL/University of Arizona  Ravines (or very large gullies) are actively forming on Mars during the coldest times of year, when carbon dioxide frost aids mass wasting. In this image, acquired on March 25, 2015, we see warm-season flows in cold-season ravines. NASA/JPL/University of Arizona  An image of the southeast rim of Hale crater, acquired on Nov. 13, 2014 NASA/JPL/University of Arizona  This RSL is one of the most active sites known on Mars in the central peaks of Hale Crater, acquired on Feb. 20, 2015. NASA/JPL/University of Arizona  A RSL in Raga Crate, acquired on Feb. 9, 2015. NASA/JPL/University of Arizona  A surprise landslump in Melas Chasma, acquired on Jan. 15, 2014. NASA/JPL/University of Arizona  An image of the southeast rim of Hale crater, acquired on Nov. 13, 2014. NASA/JPL/University of Arizona  This image was acquired in southern winter over part of Asimov Crater, on March 15, 2014, showing the equator-facing slope of a deep trough inside the crater. NASA/JPL/University of Arizona  RSL along Coprates Chasma Ridge, acquired on July 7, 2013. NASA/JPL/University of Arizona  Seasonal flows on Palikir Crater, a warm Martian slopes, that may be caused by the flow of salty water on Mars. Acquired on March 15, 2013 NASA/JPL/University of Arizona  RSL in Juventae Chasma, acquired on Jan. 18, 2013. NASA/JPL/University of Arizona  This image displays a site along a Coprates Chasma ridge shows RSL on generally north-facing slopes, acquired on Oct. 20, 2012. NASA/JPL/University of Arizona  Right past the sharp, but warped rim of this ancient impact crater are deposits of winter frost, which show up as blue in enhanced color. Acquired on July 16, 2012. NASA/JPL/University of Arizona  Slope features seen on a wall in Newton crater acquired on May 30, 2011. NASA/JPL/University of Arizona So this revelation about water and the Red Planet makes a lot of things possible. Furthermore, I’m positive that other exciting findings about Mars are in the offing. One of which is that, perhaps, the planet is today an extraterrestrial address for microbial life. The evidence of water on the surface of Mars has many implications. In fact, the finding is a wellspring, a gusher of good news to make possible the creation of a permanent settlement outpost on the Red Planet. Still, back here on Earth, we need to face the ebb and flow of politics and budgets. It’s time to rebuild and sustain America’s space program that makes the vision of our future on Mars valid. No dream is too high for those with their eyes in the sky! _Buzz Aldrin, best known for his Apollo 11 moonwalk, holds a doctoral degree in astronautics and continues to wield influence as an international advocate of space science and planetary exploration. Aldrin and co-author, Leonard David, wrote Mission to Mars – My Vision for Space Exploration, published in 2013 by the National Geographic Society. Aldrin’s new children’s book, Welcome to Mars: Making a Home on the Red Planet, co-authored with Marianne Dyson, was published in this month._ ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"OpinionNewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4054852/buzz-aldrin-water-on-mars/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4054852/buzz-aldrin-water-on-mars/"},"headline":"Buzz Aldrin: Water on Mars Is Another Small Step for Humankind","datePublished":"2015-09-29T20:38:44.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:41:39.340Z","description":"This week's discovery brings us closer to settling the Red Planet","url":"https://time.com/4054852/buzz-aldrin-water-on-mars/","keywords":["Space","Question Everything"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb534002a144a3172/69886615cf40a8abaec3ff8b/mars2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Buzz Aldrin","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/buzz-aldrin/"}],"articleSection":"Ideas","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltb534002a144a3172/69886615cf40a8abaec3ff8b/mars2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"In this handout provided by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, dark, narrow streaks on the slopes of Hale Crater are inferred to be formed by seasonal flow of water on surface of present-day Mars.","caption":"In this handout provided by NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, dark, narrow streaks on the slopes of Hale Crater are inferred to be formed by seasonal flow of water on surface of present-day Mars.","creditText":"NASA—Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/ideas/","name":"Ideas"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/space/","name":"Space"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4054852/buzz-aldrin-water-on-mars/","name":"Buzz Aldrin: Water on Mars Is Another Small Step for Humankind"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Know Right Now: Liquid Water Found on Mars","description":"NASA announced that scientists have found evidence of liquid water on present-day Mars","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/de4CvA5e/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2015-09-28T18:25:47.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/de4CvA5e.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4054852/buzz-aldrin-water-on-mars/","duration":"PT1M1S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4054852/buzz-aldrin-water-on-mars/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```