Since 2015, NASA has been bringing in scientists and engineers to test water ice deposits on Mars that may be inside astronauts on the planet’s surface.
Such an initiative is largely because, as noted in the Phys.org report, “scrubbing all that water” to the Red Planet would not only be costly but also dangerous.
Nonetheless, that report pointed out, of course, that water has great scientific value, moreover, if there is microbial life today on Mars, it probably would close to these water sources as well.
A new study appearing in Natural Astronomy includes an extensive map outlining where water ice is most likely to be found in the northern hemisphere of the planet.
Weaving in two decades of data from the now inactive Mars Odyssey, Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and Mars Global Surveyor, this research is the work of a project also known as “Mapping underground water ice” or SWIM.
This is an initiative led by Tucson, an Arizona-based Institute of Planning Science, and managed by NASA-based California-based Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
CENTRAL ANSWER: The capable life of an ancient Mars living beneath the surface
(Image: NASA / Pat Rawlings on Wikimedia Commons)
A NASA representative says there is a need to ‘make new maps of subterranean ice to advance our knowledge’ of the area where there is ice for scientific study, ‘and astronauts can rely on local resources.
To look for signs of microbial life
According to Richard Davis, who is leading NASA ‘s missions to find Martian resources to prepare for sending humans to Mars.
He stressed the need to “make new maps of subterranean ice to advance our knowledge” of the area where there is ice for scientific study, “and astronauts can rely on local resources.
Soon, NASA plans to conduct a workshop for multidisciplinary experts to assess potential landings on Mars based on this study, as well as criteria other science and engineering.
Such a mapping project could inform studies as well, with astronauts NASA hopes to send to Mars. This independent body of the United States federal government, along with three international space agencies, recently announced the signing of a statement of intent to “explore the concept of mission” International Mars Ice Mapper ‘possible. “
That statement brings the groups together to establish a collaborative concept group that will assess mission capability, and alliance opportunities between NASA, Agenzia Spaziale Italiana or the Italian space agency, the Canadian Space Agency and the Space Research Group Japanese Aerospace.
Physical properties found
Experts in the space industry said it is not easy to know if a surface hides ice. According to Gareth Morgan of the Planetary Institute, co-director of the SWIM project and lead author of the paper, none of the instrument data used in the study was developed to measure the ice directly.
Instead, he said, each orbiter instrument is capable of different physical properties, high hydrogen density, high radar wave speed, and the rate at which temperature changes in a surface, which could be said to be ice there.
Praising their work, Morgan also said that despite having two decades of data, not to mention a fantastic range of instruments, it is “difficult to find these databases. put together ”because they are all very different.
This is why, he continued, they are assessing ice signal consistency, displaying areas where several datasets indicate the presence of ice.
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