Liquid Water? On Mars? Yeah, NASA, Figured as Much

I’m sorry I’ve got to say this, but NASA’s announcement Monday that they’ve confirmed evidence of water running on the surface of Mars was  . . . underwhelming.

Yes, I get that this is confirming water is actually occasionally running on the surface of a planet in our solar system other than Earth – but was any of this unexpected or surprising or as “mysterious” as NASA’s pre-press conference buildup warranted?

Nope.

We’ve seen the evidence for more than 50 years, through channels carved in Mars’ surface first recognized in the 1960s to the ice uncovered by rockets from the most current Mars rovers: Ice abounds on the Red Planet, which is not surprising considering how wet our solar system is. Water vapor, it's everywhere, man. Times past, there was water flowing on its surface, flowing from highlands likely into a global ocean. Given the absolute dampness of Earth, it’s hard to believe that its nearer neighbors would be devoid of any watery features (Venus is baking its water, while Mars is freezing its).

I’m glad NASA’s confirmed running water on the planet. I don't mean to belittle the discovery. But I am in no way surprised.