Scientists discover large amounts of frozen water below the surface of Mars

A detailed map of the buried ice reserves in the northern hemisphere of Mars, where it first revealed the area of ​​mid-latitude ice, published by scientists from the SWIM project.

In the future, this area will be the site for establishing a permanent residence on the surface of the Red Planet, according to Nature Astronomy.

The objective of the SWIM (Subsurface Water Ice Mapping) project is to map the potential ice deposits buried on the surface of Mars in order to facilitate the research process and to choose the best landing site on the planet. Of course, ice is a very important resource, and very necessary for many aspects of the functioning of the base of Mars: it is the source of water for humans and plants, and for producing fuel methane and gas. breathable air More importantly, it is possible to obtain from this ice the fuel necessary for the return to Earth, because in practice, it is not possible to carry enough fuel for the trip to Mars and the return to Earth .

In their study, the scientists collected data obtained from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, Mars Odyssey, and Mars Global Surveyor devices, and processed it using a single algorithm developed specifically for this project, which has allowed a quantitative estimate of the probability of buried ice in various regions of the surface of the Red Planet.

The researchers focused their attention on the mid-latitudes of the planet’s northern hemisphere, where two factors are likely needed to create a permanent base there: sunlight and a large reserve of buried ice.

Researcher Garth Morgan explains that Mars is an ice planet, and that’s good news. But the problem is finding the ice in an area conducive to human landing on the planet. And he adds that previous studies have shown that the ice is buried to a depth of three meters at latitudes above 50 degrees in both hemispheres of Mars. However, these areas are much cooler and prone to the long season. Lower latitude areas are warmer, nights are acceptable, and solar radiation is available to generate electrical power.

The map made by the researchers for the ice density shows the existence of large areas in the northern hemisphere of Mars, for the stability of the ice, which varies from a depth of a few centimeters to about a kilometer from the surface. .