A new map of Mars’ water reserves reveals areas of the Red Planet where ice could be hidden beneath the surface for use by future astronauts.
This week, the NASA-funded Subsurface Ice Mapping on Mars (SWIM) project presented his fourth series of cardswhich the space agency called the “most detailed” since the project began in 2017.
Using data from several NASA missions, including the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), Mars Odyssey and Mars Global Surveyor, SWIM identified possible locations of subsurface ice on the planet. For the latest SWIM map, scientists used two high-resolution cameras aboard MRO, which has been searching for water as it orbits Mars since 2006. Thanks to this, the new map provides a much more detailed image of subsurface water compared to previous versions.
Data from the MRO camera was used to further correct maps of the northern hemisphere, and data from HiRISE (High-Resolution Imaging Science Experiment) was included for the first time to provide the most detailed view of the ice boundary, as close to the equator as possible, according to NASA. HiRISE even spotted a 150-meter-wide crater with “ice deposits lurking beneath the surface,” the space agency notes.
The spacecraft has discovered what appears to be frozen water beneath the surface in the mid-latitudes of Mars. This region of Mars is ideal for landing future missions because it has a thicker atmosphere, making it easier for the craft to slow down as it descends to the surface. The best place for astronauts to land on Mars would be at the southernmost edge of the northern mid-latitude, where they would be close enough to buried ice but not too far from the equator for the weather to be a little warmer.
If you send people to Mars, you want to land them as close to the equator as possible. The less energy you spend keeping astronauts and their equipment warm, the more you have available for other needs.
— Sidney Do, SWIM Project Manager at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Although there is also a lot of ice at the Martian poles, it is too cold for astronauts to stay there for a long time.
NASA is more interested in ice found below the surface because any liquid water on Mars would be unstable. The Martian atmosphere is so thin that water instantly evaporates. Subsurface ice, on the other hand, is in a safe location where astronauts can drill for retrieval.
The buried ice will be a valuable resource for future astronauts on Mars, who could use it as drinking water or to make rocket fuel. This will allow them to carry much less cargo to the surface of the Red Planet.
Scientists are also seeking to know where subsurface ice is found on Mars to help them understand the planet’s climate throughout its history. The latest SWIM map may lead to new hypotheses about the causes of variations in the distribution of water on the planet.
