Scientists discover clean water ice on the red planet.
Scientists discover clean water ice on the red planet.
Scientists have previously discovered water ice on Mars, but nobody knew how pure it was. Now, researchers using NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter have discovered eight sites of thick ice beneath Mars’ surface. And these deposits look like relatively pure water ice.
The sites don’t only contain water ice, but they’re also accessible sites, which makes the ice easier to get to. Shane Byrne of the University of Arizona Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, Tucson, remarked, “Astronauts could essentially go there with a bucket and a shovel and get all the water they need.”
Having clean sources of ice water is crucial if we ever launch exploratory missions to Mars. Future visitors will benefit from having reservoirs of water for drinking or growing crops. Or if you’re on a future science mission and get abandoned on Mars during a massive dust storm, then have to survive for 560 sols on the red planet, having these sources of water will prove useful.
