Scientists have released a new global map showing water ice that is as little as 1 inch (2.5 centimeters) below the Red Planet's surface.
With data in hand, the research team located at least one promising landing spot for future astronaut missions: a big zone in the northern hemisphere's Arcadia Planitia . This area has a lot of water ice close to the surface and is in the ideal location for a human Mars mission , because it is in a temperate, midlatitude region with plenty of sunlight, the research team wrote in a new study describing the findings.
Many things are taking place:
About that trip to Mars… | Physician's Weekly
Astronomer and co-recipient of this year's Nobel Prize in physics Didier Queloz doesn't think we can escape the effects of climate change by moving to another planet. Habitable planets—if they even exist—would be very far away. He added, "We are a species that has evolved and developed for this planet. We are not built to survive on any other planet than this one."
Even if a suitable planet was found, getting there would be quite a challenge. A couple of recent articles about medical issues in astronauts merely orbiting the earth are concerning. Astronaut Scott Kelly spent 340 days on the International Space Station. During that mission, he collected blood and urine samples and did mental and reaction tests. His twin brother Mark, also an astronaut, stayed on the ground and served as a control.
Race against time to launch Europe's troubled mission to Mars | Science | The Guardian
"It is going to be very, very tight getting the probe ready for next summer's launch," said ExoMars's manager Pietro Baglioni. "I think we have only got a 50-50 chance we will be able to go ahead as scheduled."
ExoMars will first use a heat shield to slow its approach to Mars from 21,000 to 1,700kph. Then a 15-metre wide parachute will be deployed to slow it to around 400kph. This will be jettisoned before a second 35-metre chute opens up. After it is jettisoned – about a kilometre above ground – a retro-rocket will ignite and take the two-tonne craft gently on to the Martian surface.
Water found an inch beneath the Martian surface could help Marstronauts - CNN
(CNN) When the first astronauts land on Mars, they won't be able to take everything they need with them. The logistics and weight of transporting so much material on one spacecraft, along with a crew, defies current technology. While scientists at NASA have discussed missions to deliver materials to the Red Planet ahead of a manned mission, there may be resources on Mars that can be used.
Not to change the topic here:
Mars 2020's landing site could be a good place to hunt for fossils | Astronomy.com
Mars Express Takes Photos of Phobos as it Flies Past - Universe Today
The ESA's Mars Express Orbiter is no stranger to the Martian moon Phobos. The spacecraft was launched in June 2003 and has been in orbit around Mars for 16 years. During its long time at Mars, it's captured detailed images of Phobos, and helped unlocked some of that Moon's secrets.
In a new sequence of 41 images captured during a recent fly-by, the Mars Express' High Resolution Stereo Camera imaged Phobos from different angles, capturing images of the moon's surface features, including the Stickney crater .
3-D print a piece of Mars for the holidays
"The delta is the main feature of interest, and getting a sense of how it's spread across the landscape is really, really interesting," said Tim Goudge, an assistant professor at the UT Jackson School of Geosciences and the lead advocate for Jezero as the Mars 2020 landing site.
The model can be scaled up or down, but the standard size is about 8 by 7.5 inches, about 100,000 times smaller than the area it represents on Mars. The details of the landforms correspond to those on Mars, but the researchers increased their scaled-down height by five times so their details would be easier to see and feel. Jackson School exhibit designer John Maisano painted the model pictured here to highlight the different landforms.
Failing European Space Agency asks NASA for HELP with Mars mission | Daily Mail Online
The European Space Agency has been forced to ask NASA for help to save its 2020 ExoMars mission, after a series of parachute tests ended in catastrophic failure.
Two parachutes on the ExoMars rover are supposed to deploy as part of an intricate design to slow its descent onto the surface of the Red Planet.
Delay caused by the flunked tests has put the timeline of next year's timeline in jeopardy, with engineers only giving the mission a 50 per cent chance of launching on time.
Happening on Twitter
NASA's 'Treasure Map' of Water Ice on Mars Shows Where Humans Should Land https://t.co/SvLp5hxklY https://t.co/mEZJeCDQDs SPACEdotcom (from NYC) Mon Dec 16 15:19:33 +0000 2019
Large regions of Mars are believed to harbor frozen water less than 1 foot below the planet's surface. A new map c… https://t.co/XNJ3GyDCTh NASA_Marshall (from Huntsville, Alabama USA) Mon Dec 16 21:13:53 +0000 2019
Future #Mars explorers: check out @NASA's treasure map for water ice on the Red Planet. https://t.co/BOYUAJ8k7C… https://t.co/9tCUNyxxtx NASAJPL (from Pasadena, Calif.) Tue Dec 10 22:41:22 +0000 2019
We know there's water ice on the Moon, and now scientists are seeking to map out potential water ice deposits on Ma… https://t.co/KZ3I5Vy0Wb NASA_SLS (from Huntsville, AL) Wed Dec 11 22:00:08 +0000 2019
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