Lots of Ice On Mars

Total Recall writes: "The Mars Odyssey spacecraft is finding large amounts of hydrogen in the southern hemisphere of Mars. This strongly indicates the presence of water ice (since H2O is both common and very stable). The data samples about the upper meter or so of the Martian surface. This apparently extends from the south polar cap up to about 60 south latitude. It suggests a permafrost of mixed ice and dirt."

Comments

Re:Now we know where to land

[Skyshadow]

The major advantage for Mars (aside from its carbon-dioxide atmosphere, and the recently confirmed water) is the gravity.

Whoa, slow down there, cowboy. The availablity of oxygen and hydrogen isn't just something to casually dismiss.

You put some sort of hard-to-break, long-lasting power source on the surface (nuclear battery or somesuch) and you can survive a lot of adversity when you have these sorts of raw materials. You can grow food in inflatible domes (most terrestrial crops would actually like the CO2 atmosphere of Mars better than our own), you can make air to breathe and you have water to drink. You can survive a really long time, even if Earth can't get you a supply ship for a few months (or years). Additionally, you can make rocket propellant, mix concrete and refine metals for your base, all using stuff you have laying around. Bury it all under a few meters of earth (er, mars) and you're safe from radiation thanks to the fact that Mars has an atmosphere running interference for you.

On the moon, if you rupture an air tank, you have to get into your lander and blast back to Earth pronto. The surface of Mars, on the other hand, could pretty easily be converted into the second safest place in the solar system.