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American astronomers believe that Arcadia Planitia is a suitable place for humans to land on Mars, Ukrinform reported with a link to Naked Science.
Security and water are the most important conditions for the right location of a future manned mission to Mars. According to US researchers, the Plain of Arcadia (Arcadia Planitia) — a vast lowland in the western hemisphere of the planet — could serve as such a place, the article states.
According to the portal, in addition to the flat surface, the area is rich in reserves of shallow water ice, which is quite accessible and can be used on-site by humans so as not to ship water from Earth.
“We show that water ice is present sometimes just a few cm below the surface, at locations where future landing is realistic, under mobile material that could easily be moved around. This ice could be exploited onsite for drinking water, breathable oxygen, etc., at a much lower cost than if brought from Earth,” the research abstract states.
The ability to exploit water on Mars will save on the mass of an interplanetary ship, saving costs for fuel and payload.
