Scientists have discovered a large sheet of ice buried underneath the ground in Mars. Could this area be the possible future Mars settlement site for our astronauts?
The analysis of the data collected from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter 600 overhead passes discovered that there is a large sheet of frozen water underneath the Utopia Planitia.
Scientists have long suspected that the Utopia Planitia for having water due to its polygonal surface cracking and scalloped depressions. The discovery is thanks to the ground-penetrating Shallow Radar (SHARAD) attached to NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.
These surface characteristics are the same as those found on the surface of the Canadian Artic. The polygonal surface cracking is due to water underneath the ground freezing and melting as temperature changes. The scalloped depressions are where the ground sinks as the ice melts.
The newly discovered ice sheet is said to have an area larger than New Mexico and holds water as much as that of Lake Superior. The ice sheet has a thickness ranging from 260 to 560 feet. The scientists believe that the ice sheet contains fifty percent pure water with the remaining fifty percent ground debris like rock and soil particles.
The discovery of the Mars ice sheet makes scientists hope that the area where it is located could be the future Mars settlement site for our astronauts. The Utopia Planitia, where the ice sheet is found, is in the mid-northern latitudes of Mars. It is mostly smooth and flat ideal for a spacecraft landing.
With water easily accessible to the future astronauts exploring planet Mars, there will be enough resources for the astronauts to use for drinking and other necessities. The components of water, hydrogen, and oxygen, can also be isolated and be used as fuel.
Besides the practical aspect of the discovery of the Mars ice sheet, scientists now have added information on the effects of climate change on Mars. It would also help in tracing the history of Mars based on the discovery of the ice sheet.
But with all these discoveries found on Mars, there is still no concrete evidence, past or current, of the existence of life on Mars. Is the Red Planet hiding more secrets that are yet to be uncovered? What do you think? Share your theories about Mars in the comments below!
