There have been two well-known scientists on the maps of Mars for a few weeks: two large Martian craters, henceforth, Lynn Margulis y Elizabeth Romer.

Doctoral student at the Spanish Center for Astrobiology (CAB, CSIC and INTA Combined Center) Christina RobaThese two Martian craters, located in the study area of ​​his dissertation, are named; The gesture is meant to pay homage to the work of women in science.

Water is one of the basic requirements for the survival of life, and for this reason the location and characteristics of other planets are important, and liquid water may or may not have existed in the past.

Because of its proximity and similarity to the earth, Mars has become the first stop of this search for scientists, Remember CAB in a note.

Robas submits his doctoral thesis to understand the ancient hydrological cycle of Mars Detect the presence of water on Mars in the past, In liquid and ice form.

For this he used high-resolution orbital data, which allowed him to develop a detailed geographical map of the southwestern part of the Sinus Sabius, also known as the Highlands of Mars.

On the map, the two impact craters are distinguished by their size, age, and various geological units. At 200 and 120 km in diameter, they were baptized as Margulis and Romer, respectively, in tribute to these two scientists.

Lynn Margulis (1938-2011) dedicated her career To the study of the origin and early evolution of life. She was a prominent biologist and pioneer in astrobiology known for her serial endosymbiosis theory, describing the formation of eukaryotic cells (containing nuclei) as a result of symbiotic fusion of various prokaryotic cells (without nucleus).

Elizabeth Romer (1929-2016) He was an astronomer who specialized in the study of comets and asteroids. He was a pioneer in the photography, study and astronomy of comet nuclei.

They discovered 79 comets and the asteroids Lucifer and Bock, obtained accurate measurements of the positions and motions of the celestial bodies, and were co-discovered by Jupiter’s moon Themisto.

According to Robas “By these names, we would like to pay tribute to the valuable work of these two scientists and their comprehensive role in space science; To all women who have dedicated themselves to science throughout history ”.

The researcher tells Efe that the process of naming craters is in line with the standards of the International Astronomical Union.

Robas sent his proposal, which, once evaluated, was approved by the agency and included in the nomenclature. Both the names have been official since April 22.