The water below the surface of Mars is only 2.5cm: The Dream of the Red Planet is not far away?

If someday the first astronauts set foot on Mars, they will need to bring everything they need with them. However, the transportation of items with equipment and astronauts is overwhelming compared to current technologies.

While scientists at NASA are discussing the transportation of supplies and equipment to Mars before humans arrive, they are also considering taking advantage of the resources on the Red Planet.

One of the most important conditions is water, but it is equally important to identify where it is. Determining where water can be found on Mars will help humans set foot on the planet.

The image was taken from NASA's Mars reconnaissance orbit.The white and blue clouds are evaporating water.(Photo: NASA).

A study published this week in the journal Geophysical Research Letters shows that a map of frozen water may be just 2.5 cm below the dusty surface of Mars.

Before humans set foot on the Red Planet, robots have been exploring Mars for years. Astronomical surface exploration probes show traces of previously existing life and evidence of the existence of water, while orbiting ships collect images and map sketches of this planet.

Data from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and the Odyssey Mars probe also discovered the existence of frozen water just below the surface of the Red Planet .

"You won't need a machine to drill down on this ice. You can just use a shovel to do that. We're continuing to collect data on the Martian ice, focusing on locations. most suitable for astronauts to land , 'said Sylvain Piqueux, a scientist at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, author of the study.

Mars was once a warm planet, able to survive life and water on the surface. However, something happened 3.5 billion years ago that made the planet lose almost all of its atmosphere. Only a thin layer of atmosphere exists today so if water exists on the surface, it will also evaporate immediately.

However, water still exists in the form of ice below the surface of the Red Planet, both in the poles and in the middle regions. The polar ice layer is best known by its orbiting ships.

NASA's probes and orbits show that outside of frozen water found in Mars' poles and equatorial regions, the data also reveals areas where ice can only survive. right below the surface of the planet.

Similar to the Moon, some areas on Mars make the planet's icy places, such as polar regions, unsuitable for humans to survive. Factors like temperature or sunlight are also considered factors.

That makes the regions north and south of the equatorial region more attractive. The northern hemisphere may be a more suitable place for a spaceship to have a human being someday because its height is more suitable and the atmosphere here is also thicker.

The new NASA map reveals water frozen just 2.5 cm below the Martian surface in an area called Arcadia Plantia on the northern hemisphere of the Red Planet.

Scientists now want to delve deeper into this surface layer of ice and whether it will change in different seasons.

"The more we learn about the ice just below this surface, the more we discover. Observing Mars from different spacecraft over the years helps us find new ways to explore the ice." " , said scientist in the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter) project, Leslie Tamppari.

1. Water can exist just below the surface of Mars
2. Does Mars contain more groundwater than Earth?