Broken wheel unearths evidence of Martian water

NASA scientists have said a broken wheel on a space vehicle has helped them to find some of the strongest evidence yet that ancient Mars was much wetter than it is now and may have been able to support life.

Members of the Mars rover Spirit’s team discovered a patch of soil that was made up of about 90% pure silica — a composition that would have required the presence of water — after one of its six wheels stopped rotating and left a deep track as it dragged through the soil.

NASA scientists said yesterday it was a “remarkable” discovery “which continues to spur the hope that we can show that Mars was once habitable and possibly supported life”.