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Science Forum Index » Miscelaneous » NASA: Ice, mineral-rich soil could support human...
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| Spunky the Wonder Toad... |
 Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2008 3:37 am |
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By Sharon Gaudin
Robots would build infrastructure, extract usable water from ice before
astronauts arrive
June 27, 2008 (Computerworld) The ice and minerals found using a robotic
arm in the Martian soil could make it easier for humans to live on the
planet in the not-so-distant future.
The ice on the northern pole of Mars has been a particularly important
find for NASA scientists because robots and astronauts could extract
usable, even drinkable, water from it, helping to sustain an extended stay
on the Red Planet, according to Ray Arvidson, a co-investigator for the
Mars Lander's robotic arm team and a professor at Washington University in
St. Louis.
"I think the fact that we found water ice means there's a large reservoir
of it," Arvidson told Computerworld on Friday. "Water is crucial to us as
humans, in terms of keeping us going. Water also is a resource that can be
processed, in terms of getting oxygen and hydrogen. Finding that water
near the surface is important. When you actually go to Mars, you don't
want to take that water with you the fact that the water is close to the
surface is good."
On Thursday, NASA scientists announced that their initial analysis found
that Martian soil could support life.
Scientists on Wednesday received the first test results from the wet
chemistry laboratory on the Mars Lander, which is using a robotic arm to
dig shallow trenches and then scoop up and analyze soil samples on the
northern pole of the planet. Earlier this week, the microscopic imager on
the Mars Lander sent back pictures of the trench, dubbed Wonderland, that
contained the tested soil.
"We were all very flabbergasted at the data we got back [from the wet
chemistry tests]," said Samuel Kounaves, a professor at Tufts University
and a research affiliate at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. "We basically
have found what appears to be the requirements to support life, whether in
the past, present or future. We have elements that you might find in your
backyard."
Kounaves said though the findings are preliminary, they've found the
minerals that are essential to life in the Martian soil. The dirt there is
very alkaline, with a pH level of between eight and nine. They've also
found magnesium, sodium, potassium and chloride. The minerals in the
Martian soil are typical of soils here on Earth.
"Some kinds of Earth life would be happy to live in these soils," he
added. "Asparagus, green beans and turnips love alkaline soils."
That will be a plus for astronauts who might set up human habitat on Mars
someday. In 2004, President George Bush called on NASA to send humans back
to the moon by 2020 in preparation for a manned-mission to Mars some day.
Arvidson said to make that happen, NASA will need sophisticated robots to
be sent to Mars first to build the infrastructure of the habitat and
extract usable water from the ice there. And the robots would also be
needed to pull gases from the atmosphere that could be used to create
rocket fuel for the astronauts' trip home.
"Once on the surface, you're there for a long time before the orbital
dynamics are such that you can return to Earth. You have to be
self-sustaining," said Arvidson. "Before people go there, which might be
in a few decades, there might be a robotic outpost that would set up the
infrastructure for the site. One of the reasons for going back to the moon
is to learn how to use robotics and humans together to build outposts and
[for] resource utilization."
He added that NASA already has robots that are sophisticated enough to
erect buildings and extract water and gases. The issue now is making them
strong enough to survive the trip there.
"The problem is that going from the laboratory to flight is a very
difficult undertaking," he noted. "The systems have to survive the
launch. They're pulling Gs and vibrating. They have to survive transit
through space for six months and then a landing. And then they have to
survive on Mars for a year. We have to make sure they don't vibrate apart
and can work under very cold conditions and work in the presence of dust
and low pressures. Those are very harsh conditions. Going from lab to
flight requires a whole lot more development."
And that development, he noted, is being slowed by the fact that NASA's
robotics budget has been hit in recent budget cuts.
This weekend, the Mars team is waiting for results to come down from one
of the Lander's eight ovens, which heats the soil to about 1,800 degrees
Fahrenheit so the gases that are emitted from it can be analyzed. The oven
is testing soil from the same area that the Lander's robotic arm dug up
soil to be tested in the wet chemistry set and the microscopic imager
earlier this week.
And they're also waiting for further analysis from the wet chemistry
laboratory about the presence of sulfate in the Martian soil.
http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9104319&intsrc=hm_list |
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