Believe it or not, this soil contains 2% H20. Now that's a tall drink of water! Image credit: NASA. Curiosity's high-tech divining has shown that the Red Planet's dirt is not as dry as it appears. Chemical analyses of soil samples on Mars have determined that the surface is actually about two percent water by weight. Although Curiosity's predecessors in 2004 gave evidence of ancient water on Mars, it was far too acidic for consumption. This time around, the water is much more human-friendly. The surface was once much wetter than it is today, but there's still enough for us to prime the pump of a potential future habitation. Because Curiosity extracted the water from surface soil that has swirled across the planet's surface, it suggests that such water content is readily available all over Mars. As leading author Laurie Leshin said to CBS,
"When we send people, they could ...
