Google Is Celebrating Water On Mars Today

Whenever there's a major event of national or international significance, we can count on Google to bring us a vibrant and happy way to celebrate. The announcement from NASA that it had discovered liquid water on the surface of Mars is no exception. Today's Google Doodle celebrating water found on Mars is SO CUTE. If you haven't already, head over to Google's homepage to see their adorable cartoon rendering of the red planet (who has apparently been a little dehydrated...).

The short and very sweet video shows Mars as one of the "O"s in "Google," and at first it just looks like a little cartoon planet, but then Mars turns and we see the planet slurping down on a little cup of H20. The best part is that the cartoon Mars' eyes go really wide once it realizes it's been spotted with water. Surprise! Mars then gulps down the water and makes the happiest little face. Basically, I want this cartoon to be my pet. It's that adorable.

While the discovery of water on Mars probably wasn't much of a surprise to NASA at this point (they've been poking around on the red planet since the 1960s when they first sent flyby spacecrafts to collect images of Mars), it was an exciting moment for space enthusiasts who aren't quite at the clearance level of NASA, and truly for the global community.

The New York Times reported Monday that the confirmation of liquid water on the surface of Mars also means there is a greater possibility that life will be discovered on Mars (a possibility that has been debated forever, and is discussed fervently by conspiracy theorists and scientists alike). At a news conference on Monday, James L. Green, who is director of NASA's planetary science division said of the discovery, "We haven't been able to answer the question, 'Does life exist beyond Earth?' But following the water is a critical element of that. We now have, I think, great opportunities in the right locations on Mars to thoroughly investigate that."

Seems like Google has already fully embraced the idea of Mars being alive... I can't even imagine what kind of visual treat Google will cook up when (if, sorry, IF) life is confirmed to be present on the planet. I mean if they find life it will probably be some weird minuscule bacteria, but I trust the doodlers to come up with something heartwarming out of microbes.

Doodle on!

Images: Google