More ice found on Mars.

Oldfart1939 · 2018-12-24 10:44:14

In a news release today the ESA revealed that a crater filled with ice has been found on the Red Planet:

http://www.newser.com/story/268970/gues … cience_rel

GW Johnson · 2018-12-24 11:24:48

Easy place to mine for ice, except for the polar cold climate.

GW

louis · 2018-12-24 12:29:32

Hi OF,

I mentioned this on another thread and it seems, based on the description, that there must be something like 2.2 trillion tonnes of water in it!

I also calculated that the distance from the crater to the "sweet spot" for insolation on Mars (about 30 degrees north). would be something like 2000 kms -2500 kms.

You could have a fleet of electric powered robot ice miners (recharging their batteries at solar power/battery facilities en route, along the road trail). They could probably cover the journey in about 4 sols at say 25 kms per hour. Each one might bring back say 10 tonnes of water. With a fleet of 27 rovers that would deliver about 30 tonnes of water to the settlement every sol. Or it might make more sense to build a spaceport by the crater and have a BFR Starship take on board 100 tonnes of water for delivery back to the settlement.

Ultimately a heated and well insulated pipeline would be the best way to deliver water from the crater to a temperate zone settlement.
That is something the Mars community could produce themselves using basalt rockwool for insulation and making the pipeline from ISRU plastics.

Oldfart1939 wrote:

In a news release today the ESA revealed that a crater filled with ice has been found on the Red Planet:
http://www.newser.com/story/268970/gues … cience_rel

SpaceNut · 2018-12-24 16:25:34

How Much Water Does Mars Have?

My post on the 50-mile wide Korolev crater plus others continued to the end post

Also in this topic some more links and information

Of which Louis provided calculations of what might be there.

Its sort of high from the stand point of Nasa with regards to temperature and solar energy.

I think that this should be a high interest location for Nasa not just for the science but for pinning down the resource that would make a Lox LH2 possible for a return flight and for a possible sample return.

Not only woul we get a frozen sample of water but it contains a history much like the ice cores on earth.

So we need to land a capsule return cache holder capable of getting back to earth with a frozen sample inside. A means to land for it and a rover of other such lander to gather the samples with. Possible a coring machine to get a frozen sample of the water. I think that this could be done with 3 seperate landing crafts to make it possible by shifting parts to the return ship and lander to make it possible. Land on the rim and make the treck possible for the rover to locate the others for getting the samples home.

louis · 2018-12-24 17:05:29

I think it makes more sense to establish the base and then investigate, because - essentially - once we are established on Mars such investigation can be accomplished much more cheaply.

I think the best strategy is to land in the temperate zone around 30 degrees north, where we can ensure optimal insolation for a PV energy system.

The landing location should also:

1. Have regolith that is rich in water ice - at least 4% by mass.

2. Preferably be located within 50kms of an identified ice feature like a glacier or ice crater.

In addition Mission One should include atmospheric water extraction equipment.

Basically we need a fail-safe approach to water. The more I think about this issue, the more I think that atmospheric extraction may be the best answer. That should perhaps be option 1. If that fails, look to your ice feature and establish regular robot rover mining expeditions there. If that fails, you move to regolith extraction. That's the basic outline but you would in reality probably pursue all three following landing.

Taking water from the Korolev crater and transporting it 2000 kms plus is probably something you would only do if you really couldn't find a regular supply from a glacier or smaller crater more locally.

But it's great to know the Korolev crater is there. When Mars's population is measured in the tens of millions, we may need to call on such resources.

SpaceNut wrote:

How Much Water Does Mars Have?
My post on the 50-mile wide Korolev crater plus others continued to the end post
Also in this topic some more links and information
Of which Louis provided calculations of what might be there.
Its sort of high from the stand point of Nasa with regards to temperature and solar energy.
I think that this should be a high interest location for Nasa not just for the science but for pinning down the resource that would make a Lox LH2 possible for a return flight and for a possible sample return.
Not only woul we get a frozen sample of water but it contains a history much like the ice cores on earth.
So we need to land a capsule return cache holder capable of getting back to earth with a frozen sample inside. A means to land for it and a rover of other such lander to gather the samples with. Possible a coring machine to get a frozen sample of the water. I think that this could be done with 3 seperate landing crafts to make it possible by shifting parts to the return ship and lander to make it possible. Land on the rim and make the treck possible for the rover to locate the others for getting the samples home.

SpaceNut · 2018-12-24 20:09:43

Atributes for finding; Korolev crater is 82 kilometres across and found in the northern lowlands of Mars, just south of a large patch of dune-filled terrain that encircles part of the planet's northern polar cap (known as Olympia Undae).

http://www.esa.int/Our_Activities/Space … nd_on_Mars

It's a type of geological feature known as a 'cold trap', and that's exactly what it sounds like. The floor of the crater is very deep, just over 2 kilometres (1.2 miles) below the rim. From the floor of the crater rises a dome of water ice, 1.8 km (1.1 miles) thick and up to 60 km (37.3 miles) in diameter. In volume, it contains around 2,200 cubic kilometres (528 cubic miles) of ice (although an unknown proportion of it is probably Mars dust).

The same dynamic is at play in the much smaller 36-kilometre (22.4-mile) Louth crater, also in the northern polar region of Mars.

Trying to pin down a view on a map that shows where the crater is.
http://global-data.mars.asu.edu/bin/the … =1&rel=999

I think this image helps a but too as it is in the upper left corner of the image

Mars_B4_Moon · 2024-04-14 15:37:42

Even outside Polar regions a Scope Digger to extract Mars water, heating, mirrors, Solar Panels or Apower from a Nuclear reactor uses energy to sublimate the ices into vapors, in Martian Towns new methods of Water Extraction and Storage Explored before humans even land?

NASA’s Curiosity Rover Unearths Mars’ Ancient Water Secrets
https://scitechdaily.com/nasas-curiosit … r-secrets/

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#1 2018-12-24 10:44:14

More ice found on Mars.

#2 2018-12-24 11:24:48

Re: More ice found on Mars.

#3 2018-12-24 12:29:32

Re: More ice found on Mars.

#4 2018-12-24 16:25:34

Re: More ice found on Mars.

#5 2018-12-24 17:05:29

Re: More ice found on Mars.

#6 2018-12-24 20:09:43

Re: More ice found on Mars.

#7 2024-04-14 15:37:42

Re: More ice found on Mars.

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