Credit: Twentieth Century Fox Film CorporationWhen the first astronauts land on Mars, they will need lots of water to drink, grow food, and create oxygen for breathing and rocket fuel. Scientists think they have found a place on Mars with plenty of water. Scientists have analyzed images of the surface of Mars taken by the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. They were most attracted by the wide volcanic plain stretching between the equator and the poles of the Red Planet called the Amazonian plain. Scientists have come to the conclusion that it is in this place that water ice is located not deep under the surface and the first settlers on Mars will be able to extract water from it. The study was published in the Journal of Geophysical Research Planets, writes Earth. In images of the Amazon plain on Mars, scientists have found characteristic surface features that on Earth are often created by subsurface ice. This region on Mars resembles the permafrost zone in Alaska and Siberia. (Picture for illustration purposes only. Credit: NASA) Scientists have concluded that there is water ice under the surface of the Amazon plain at a depth of less than one meter. This means that people who find themselves on Mars will be able to easily extract it to obtain water from it. Astronauts will be able to use this water for drinking, growing food, and also to obtain oxygen for breathing and creating rocket fuel. Delivering tens of tons of water from Earth to Mars is a very expensive process. Moreover, people will have to wait several months before this water arrives on the Red Planet. Therefore, scientists insist that water should be mined on Mars. Even a small expedition of four astronauts could require more than 20 tons of water for a 500-day stay on Mars. Delivering this water would require additional launch vehicles and astronomical budgets. It is known that there is a huge amount of water ice near the poles on Mars. But it is very cold there and there is little sunlight needed to power future bases. Closer to the equator, the temperature is higher and there is more sunlight. That is, the Amazon plain is well suited for building the first bases on Mars. Scientists say it is an ideal place for humans to stay on Mars for a long time, with water ice found just below the surface. Water ice is interesting not only for its water supply, but it may also preserve signs of ancient or even modern life on Mars, scientists say. On Earth, ice can preserve biomarkers of past life and may also contain populations of microorganisms. So the same could be true on Mars. Before humans can set foot on the Red Planet, scientists say, rovers or landers need to be sent to the Amazon plain to confirm the presence of water ice beneath the surface. It is not yet known exactly when the first astronauts will land on Mars. It could be in the next decade, or it could be in 20 years. But thanks to this research, we now know what may be the ideal place for future settlers to live on Mars. The post Scientists have found the ideal place on Mars where people can live appeared first on Anomalien.com.