Before humans embark on the monumental journey to Mars, identifying a safe and practical landing site is crucial. Recent research led by Erica Luzzi, a planetary geologist from the University of Mississippi, suggests that one region on Mars may fulfill the essential criteria for future human missions. The study, published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets, highlights the presence of water ice just beneath the Martian surface, offering a potential local water supply for astronauts during extended stays.
“If we’re going to send humans to Mars, you need H2O and not just for drinking, but for propellant and all manner of applications,” Luzzi explained. This discovery was made during her postdoctoral research at the Bay Area Environmental Research Institute within NASA Ames Research Center. The presence of ice close to the surface is particularly valuable as it can be accessed more easily than deeply buried deposits, supporting the approach known as in situ resource utilization.
Ice Just Beneath the Martian Surface
By analyzing high-resolution orbital images, Luzzi’s team examined the Martian landscape and identified signs of ice less than one meter below the surface in Amazonis Planitia. This region, located in Mars’ mid-latitudes, is already being considered as a potential destination for future human landings.
“The mid-latitudes offer the perfect compromise—they get enough sunlight for power, but they’re still cold enough to preserve ice near the surface,” Luzzi noted. The team utilized images from HiRISE, the most detailed camera ever sent to another planet, revealing craters that expose ice, polygonal terrain, and other surface features indicative of subsurface ice.
Why Water Ice Matters for Astronauts
Accessible water ice on Mars would enable astronauts to produce essential resources such as drinking water, breathable oxygen, and fuel, crucial for survival and operations on the planet over long durations.
“For the moon, it would take us one week, more or less, to go back and forth to Earth for resupply,” said Giacomo Nodjoumi, a postdoctoral researcher at the Space Science Data Center of the Italian Space Agency and a co-author of the study. “But for Mars, it would take months. So, we have to be prepared for not having resupply from Earth for extended periods of time.”
The strategic importance of water ice makes Amazonis Planitia a promising candidate for future landing sites, offering a sustainable solution for resource extraction and utilization.
Clues to Mars’ Past and Present Habitability
Beyond its practical applications, the presence of ice could provide insights into Mars’ habitability. Ice has the potential to preserve evidence of past biological activity, offering clues about whether Mars once harbored life.
“This also has astrobiological implications,” Luzzi stated. “On Earth, ice can preserve biomarkers of past life, and it can also host microbial populations. So, it could tell us if Mars was ever habitable.”
Next Steps Toward Confirmation
To confirm these findings, direct sampling of the ice is necessary, which would involve sending a robotic mission to the region. “The next step would be radar analyses to better understand the depth and patchiness of the ice,” Luzzi suggested. “The lag deposit, material on top of the ice, might vary, which affects whether the ice is preserved.”
A rover or future human mission would be essential to determine whether the ice is composed entirely of water or mixed with other materials. “We will never be sure of something if we don’t have a rover, a lander or a human to take real measurements,” Nodjoumi emphasized. “We have strong evidence to suggest that this is water ice, but until we go there and measure it, we won’t be 100% sure.”
Although human exploration of Mars remains years away, this research significantly narrows down potential landing sites, bringing humanity one step closer to touching down on the Red Planet.
