Posted on 05/17/2016 6:27:21 AM PDT by BenLurkin
Last year, scientists proposed nearly 50 locations on Mars as possible places for future human landings. Those landing-zone sites contain "regions of interest" that can be reached from primary touchdown spots. Good touchdown sites will allow crews to land safely and carry out operations; offer a wealth of interesting science activities; and provide resources that the astronauts could use. For example, any favored exploration zone should allow expeditionary crews to tap into at least 100 metric tons (110 U.S. tons) of water, NASA officials have said.
With its suite of instruments and cameras — particularly the sharp-shooting High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) — NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) is being put through a request process called "HiWish" to snag new images of landing-zone candidates."NASA's Human Exploration and Operations Directorate has begun to think about where human explorers should go on Mars, and what conditions and resources, as well as what science targets, may be present," said HiRISE principal investigator Alfred McEwen, director of the Planetary Image Research Lab at the University of Arizona in Tucson. "This is a sign that they are actually thinking about sending people to Mars." "Hopefully, this new interest in Mars will include support for future robotic missions needed to answer key questions,"
... Once a semi-permanent base on Mars is established, crews would set up ISRU equipment, make sure all the kinks in the gear are smoothed out and then start harvesting resources. ISRU hardware would also operate in autonomous mode when there were no humans at the base, Davis said. "You don't achieve sustainability on Mars overnight. You grow to it," Davis said. "This is not a technical problem. Yes, there are technical issues. But it is a belief problem. If people believe it's achievable, then it will be achievable."
(Excerpt) Read more at space.com ...
It does not create a magnetic field, though, so it lacks protection from some of the harmful solar radiation.
‘Resources’ on Mars...
Are there any????
Rocks.
You’re welcome. It’s just a bit of scientific trivia I happen to be familiar with.
Considering how many harmful carbon footprints have been removed early, protecting our environment, I hope you will reconsider your skepticism.
could you be more specific?
Arnold at his best.
https://www.thereligionofpeace.com/
28,386 Islamic terrorist attacks since 9/11, and many of them helped with the liberal goal of population control.
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