Scientists have identified the ideal place for future human colonists who will reach pre Mars and will need a water source, according to Earth.com.
Mars could have, in a few years, human colonists. Photo shutterstock
A new study led by Erica Luzzi, a planetary geologist at the University of Mississippi, indicates an area that could be suitable for this: a portion of land at the average latitudes of the planet Mars, where the ice could be under the dusty ground.
What is Amazonis Planitia
With the help of the very clear images provided by the Hirise camera on board Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter from NASA, Luzzi and the collaborators examined Amazonis Planitia, a large volcanic plain, located between the Equator and the Planet poles.
The images have revealed revealing textures – freshly -looking craters, bright edges, models of polygonal fractures and subtle ripple – which are often carved by ice from the ground.
Astronauts could reach relatively easily to the ice layer
The aquatic ice pockets could be hidden less than a meter below the ground, shallow enough for robots or future astronauts to dig into them without heavy equipment, indicates the evidence.
Luzzi explained that “If we want to send people to Mars, we need H₂o – and not only for drinking, but also for propulsion and all kinds of actions”.
Sending from the ground to Mars of the necessary water tonnes would make the missions have a prohibitive cost. Hope is put into operation of local materials to reduce the mass and cost of launch.
About the planet Mars is known to house large quantities of ice at high latitudes, especially near the poles. But these areas are extremely cold and benefit from a little sunlight, which makes them inappropriate for surface bases with solar energy.
In contrast, near the equator, temperatures and light improve, but the ice withdraws a few meters below the ground.
Scientists have concluded that Amazonis Planitia is probably holding accessible ice.
Ice can retain signs of life or even forms of life
Ice also presents interest beyond the needs of the mission, because it could maintain signs of ancient or even current life.
“It has astrobiological implications. On the ground, ice can keep biomarkers of past life and can also host microbial populations. So they could tell us if Mars has ever been“says the researcher.
Before landing in the Amazonis Plain, the robots will have to check the team’s interpretation, probing the thickness and continuity of the underground.
“The next step would be the radar analyzes to better understand the depth and fragmentation of the ice”said the researcher.
Erica Luzzi states that “Îunderstanding this aspect will help us decide where a robotic precursor should land. ”
We recall that the European Space Agency announces an ambitious vision for 2040: permanent habitats on Mars, autonomous technology and infrastructures built directly in space. Behind the enthusiasm, however, the current reality shows a considerable gap.
Experts warn that when people finally set up on Mars, they will walk into one of the most hostile in the Solar System
