Humans might ‘reside on Mars’ after useful water provide present in enormous breakthrough
Hopes that humans could live on Mars have been given a boost after scientists located an alternative water supply. It comes as plans appear to be moving forward as boffins were able to extract oxygen from its rocks.
Moisture extracted from the Martian atmosphere could provide a valuable water source if humans ever inhabit the red planet, a study found. The planet has several potential sources of H2O – including underground ice, soil moisture and atmospheric vapour.
Dr Vassilis Inglezakis, from Strathclyde University in Glasgow, Scotland, found ice located beneath the surface of Mars would provide the most viable long-term solution. But he noted there are unlikely to be any accessible deposits near locations where explorers would land.
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He suggested harvesting water from the atmosphere could instead provide an alternative in areas were subsurface ice is inaccessible, or as a backup supply. The study will please Elon Musk, the tech billionaire owner of SpaceX, who envisions humans colonising Mars in 20 years.
Dr Inglezakis, from the university’s Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, said: “Reliable access to water would be essential for human survival on Mars. Not only for drinking but also for producing oxygen and fuel, which would reduce dependence on Earth-based supplies.
“This study is one of the first to compare the various technologies that could be deployed to recover water in a Martian environment. It also puts forward new ideas for atmospheric water harvesting, offering potentially valuable alternatives where other sources are inaccessible.”
(Image: Getty Images)
The paper, published in the Advances In Space Research journal, discusses each method in terms of energy demands, scalability, and suitability for different Martian conditions. He added: “A clear understanding of available technologies and their realistic applications will be key to supporting sustained missions and eventual settlement.
“The research offers insights for future space exploration missions, supporting efforts to make them more self-sufficient and sustainable.” It comes after boffins made the striking discovery that humans could live on Mars after oxygen was found in Martian rock samples.
Whilst a colony on Mars has long been the stuff of science fiction, a lack of oxygen there means it has never been a realistic goal for humanity to push towards. However, this changed when researchers at the University of Science and Technology of China used a robot trained in artificial intelligence to examine the material.
(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
The robot, branded an ‘AI chemist’, would help humans be able to breathe sustainable oxygen once a colony is established on the Red Planet. Professor Jun Jiang said: “This type of research is of wide interest and is under rapid development in organic/inorganic material synthesis and discovery.
“In the future, humans can establish an oxygen factory on Mars with the assistance of an AI chemist. This breakthrough technology brings us one step closer to achieving our dream of living on Mars.
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