If hard water and limescale did not cause enough problems on Earth, it has now been proven that it also exits on the planet Mars as well!
Nasa's Phoenix lander which touched down on Mars recently has shown the presence of several salts and minerals in Martian soil - one of them being calcium carbonate which as we all know is responsible for the dreaded hard water stains and limescale. While Mars is much colder than Earth and water usually exists as ice, under certain conditions liquid water can exist on the surface in specific places.
"It's probable that in a warmer, wetter climate, as when the obliquity (the extent to which Mars is tilted on its axis) changes, this could be a place where liquid water is found. That doesn't mean it's a lake. It just means that the soil is wet," Professor Smith, from the University of Arizona, explained.
Further more, the discovery of calcium carbonate in the soil is also suggestive of the past action of liquid water. The substance is found in rocks all over Earth and is the main component in limescale.
Peter Smith said it occurred at levels of 3-5% at the Phoenix landing site, probably forming as carbon dioxide from the Martian atmosphere dissolved into liquid water, forming a weak acid which leached calcium out of the soil.
I have helped many people remove stubborn hard water stains and limescale here on Earth since 2007. However, maybe in the not to distant future I might be helping those people living on the planet Mars do the same thing...I think I'll just stick to Earth for now though!
To read the full article go to http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/7958471.stm
No comments:
Post a Comment