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Well Water Likely Available Across Mars (behindtheblack.com)
schwit1 quotes Behind the Black: A science paper released today and available for download [pdf] cites evidence from about two dozen deep impact craters located from the equator to 37 degrees north latitude that Mars has a ground ice table at an elevation that also corresponds to other shoreline features.
The paper calls this evidence of "planet-wide groundwater" with elevations that "notably coincide with the elevation of some ocean shorelines proposed by previous authors."
Science writer Robert Zimmerman adds that "The evidence suggests that this deep groundwater water table (as ice) almost certainly still exists at all latitudes, though almost entirely underground...
"All you will have to do is dig a well..."
The paper calls this evidence of "planet-wide groundwater" with elevations that "notably coincide with the elevation of some ocean shorelines proposed by previous authors."
Science writer Robert Zimmerman adds that "The evidence suggests that this deep groundwater water table (as ice) almost certainly still exists at all latitudes, though almost entirely underground...
"All you will have to do is dig a well..."
We're waiting.
TFA says the ground-ice table is 4.0-4.8km below the surface. That'd make the well quite deep -- we did manage a 12km hole on Earth but it took multiple decades to dig. Doing so without means to ship all the equipment might be a wee bit hard.
And if you dig that deep, you might reach Hidden Fun Stuff.
The creatures outside looked from Alt-Right to Antifa; but already it was impossible to say which was which.
I'm sure Elon will be greatly saddened to be called a nobody.
Nobody is going to Mars this century. Deal with it.
I am confident that Man will get to Mars within 10 years, and that people will be living on Mars for several Martian years within 20 years.
Rocket technology is both far more sophisticated and cheaper in real terms, than it was when Man landed on the Moon. Almost totally reusable rockets of the BFR class and above, will make it happen. Provided Trump, and his ignorant ilk, don't get in the way.
You have no clue what you are talking about. I do get that it is "modern" to expect great things for the near future, but that does not make it any less demented and stupid.
Most ACs are not even worth the keystrokes to insult them. Be generically insulted by this and ignored otherwise.
We can make a good business case for a colony on the moon. To build orbital solar power stations and railgun them into Earth orbit. On a planetary power grid scale the astronomical cost of a colony is smaller than launching the stations from Earth. There is no plausible business case for a colony on Mars. None. Nothing with any hope of a return on investment within a human lifespan.
TOTAL BS. Musk is building a stainless steel rocket that will take us there. All we need to do is scale it up and we can do it today. Just like computers have gotten better, so has space tech. I think we will be there in a couple of years now that we have found a reliable supply of water.
Exactly what I was thinking! You just SIMPLY setup a facility on Mars to extract iron from the planet and produce as many as you need. You just need to bring along some stuff, and SpaceX has low-cost reusable rockets which can be used for that.
Moon bases are never going to be self-sufficient, they'll always be dependent on importing volatiles that the moon lacks. Mars has everything Earth does...more limited quantities in some cases, but more than enough for a self-sufficient colony's needs.
It's easier to land payloads on Mars than it is on the moon. While the atmosphere can't brake large vehicles to subsonic speeds, it can still take care of the majority of the entry velocity, which lunar landers must deal with using their landing rockets. Mars missions do have to carry a few months of consumables for the trip in addition to what they'll need on the ground, but that's hardly something that requires 30 years of experience on the moon to achieve.