Water found on Mars and the Moon? The space migration plan has been put into practice!

In the vast universe, water is not only the cradle of life, but also an important clue for human exploration of outer space. In recent years, scientists' discoveries on Mars and the Moon have revealed the distribution and characteristics of water resources in the universe, while also providing new hope and possibilities for future interstellar travel and extraterrestrial settlement.

0 1 Mars: Liquid water hidden underground

In 2018, the Hubble Space Telescope took a photo of Mars during a dust storm. More than 3 billion years ago, the dusty red planet had oceans and rivers. That water disappeared, leaving only surface ice, mostly in the polar ice caps. New analysis of Mars' interior suggests that most of the liquid water still exists in rock pores 10-20 kilometers below the surface.

Mars, the red planet, has always been a hot spot for human exploration. A recent study pointed out that deep inside Mars, there is a zone of pores and cracks filled with liquid water. This discovery is not only shocking, but also provides important clues for our understanding of Mars' past and possible life.

The liquid water environment on Mars is extremely harsh and may contain various impurities and minerals, and its physical and chemical properties may be different from those of water on Earth. However, even if these water resources cannot be directly used for human drinking, they provide valuable construction water for the establishment of a base on Mars in the future, which can significantly reduce the cost and risk of transporting resources from Earth.

A cross-section of the interior of Mars from beneath NASA's InSight lander. The top 5 kilometers of the crust appear dry, but a new study provides evidence that 11.5 to 20 kilometers below the surface lies a region of fractured rock teeming with liquid water — more than the volume hypothesized to have filled the ancient Martian ocean.

By analyzing seismic waves on Mars, researchers have discovered liquid water reservoirs deep inside Mars. These reservoirs exist 11 to 20 kilometers below the surface of Mars, and the amount of water is far greater than the oceans previously believed to have existed on the surface of Mars. This reservoir may be a "refuge" for life, providing a glimmer of hope for the possible existence of life deep underground on Mars.

0 2 Moon: Molecular water in lunar soil

The moon has long been considered an extremely dry wasteland. However, with the success of the Chang'e-5 mission, Chinese scientists discovered a mineral crystal containing molecular water in lunar samples. This discovery confirmed for the first time the existence of water molecules in lunar soil and revealed that water molecules on the moon exist in the form of molecular water.

Schematic diagram of hydrated mineral crystals scattered on the moon

The molecular water on the moon is different from the water molecules on Earth. They are a kind of crystalline water, similar to the hydrate formed when salt gets wet. This molecular water is very stable in the high latitudes of the moon and may exist even in areas with direct sunlight. Understanding the water reserves and distribution on the moon is crucial for planning future human lunar missions and other space exploration programs.

The lunar mineral spectrometer measures the energy of light of a specific wavelength reflected by the lunar surface to infer whether there is "water" on the lunar surface. Through precise single crystal diffraction and chemical composition analysis, scientists have discovered water-containing minerals in lunar samples. Their structure contains molecular water composed of 6 water molecules, and molecular water accounts for up to 41% of the mass of the mineral samples.

0 3 Water: A key resource for interstellar exploration

Whether it is liquid water on Mars or molecular water on the moon, they are important milestones in human exploration of water resources in outer space. Water is not only a key resource for sustaining life, but can also be converted into liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen as rocket fuel, which makes it possible for the moon to become a fuel supply station for space missions deep in the solar system or further.

However, to achieve interstellar travel and extraterrestrial settlement, the challenges we face are far more than just obtaining water resources. There are many complex problems to be solved, such as space radiation protection, ecosystem construction, energy supply, and life support systems. Nevertheless, these discoveries of water in outer space have brought new hope for humans to realize their dreams of interstellar travel and settlement.

The discovery of water resources on Mars and the Moon is not only a major scientific breakthrough, but also an important step in human exploration of the universe. They provide us with valuable information about the distribution and properties of water in the universe, while also stimulating our curiosity and desire to explore the unknown world. With the advancement of science and technology and a deeper understanding of the universe, we have reason to believe that humans will be able to find more water resources in the universe and realize the dream of interstellar travel and extraterrestrial settlement.

In the future, we may be able to build a base on Mars and use its groundwater resources for construction; on the moon, we may be able to collect molecular water and convert it into rocket fuel to support deep space exploration. These discoveries and ideas are not just scenes in science fiction, they are gradually becoming a reality, waiting for us to explore and realize.

With the in-depth study of water resources on Mars and the Moon, we are expected to uncover more secrets about these planets, including the source and distribution of water, and how to effectively use these resources on these planets. This will not only promote the development of science, but also provide new opportunities for human survival and exploration in space. Let us look forward to the arrival of that day, and look forward to human footprints in more corners of the universe.

References:

[1] Citron, R., Manga, M. & Hemingway, D. Timing of oceans on Mars from shoreline deformation. Nature 555, 643–646 (2018).

[2] Vashan W., Matthias M., and Michael M. Liquid water in the Martian mid-crust. PNAS(2024).

[3] Jin, S., Hao, M., Guo, Z. et al. Evidence of a hydrated mineral enriched in water and ammonium molecules in the Chang'e-5 lunar sample. Nat. Astron. (2024).

[4] Li Chuanfu. Discovery of water source on the moon injects new vitality into space exploration[N]. Popular Science Times, 2024-08-09 (06).