Landing on Mars just got real: Researchers reveal perfect site for astronauts

Time of India

7 days ago

Source: Universe Today
As space exploration accelerates, a new study brings Mars closer to human footsteps. This study is published in the Journal of Geophysical Research. Researchers have found an ideal landing site on Mars, one that offers both safety for landing and crucial access to buried water ice. Led by the University of Mississippi, the study highlights three regions in Amazonis Planitia, with AP-8 emerging as the top contender. This recent discovery supports safer landings but also enables
in-situ resource utilization
, meaning extracting ice for drinking water, food production, and fuel. It spots a major step forward in turning Mars colonization from concept to concrete planning.
In recent years, the pace of space innovation has accelerated dramatically, such as Artemis program by NASA (preparing to return humans to the Moon), China's Chang'e missions bringing lunar samples back to Earth, and India's Chandrayaan-3 successfully landing near the Moon's south pole. In a similar vein, SpaceX has revolutionized access to space with reusable rockets, commercial crew flights, and bold ambitions for Mars colonization. Simultaneously, these milestones trace a new age of exploration, where interplanetary travel is not a dream but a developing reality. In this spirit of progress, researchers have now found the most promising landing site for humans on Mars.
The study, published in the
Journal of Geophysical Research
, examines a major step toward sending humans to Mars: researchers have identified potential landing sites that offer both safety and access to one of the Red Planet called Mars's—most valuable resources, ice. Researchers at the University of Mississippi map out regions where underground water ice is likely to be present just below the surface, making future missions more self-sustaining and scientifically rich.
Why ice matters on Mars
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For humans to survive on Mars, water is critical—for drinking, growing food, and even making fuel. Since sending enough water from Earth is impractical, scientists have been on the hunt for places where astronauts could extract ice directly from the Martian soil. This study helps zero in on such promising regions. '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. And finding it close to the surface is helpful because we can easily extract it and use it. This is called in situ resource utilization, and it's an important practice for any space exploration,' said Erica Luzzi, a planetary geologist and postdoctoral researcher.
Where could humans land?
The research team examined three areas on Mars in Amazonis Planitia known as AP-1, AP-8, and AP-9, using high-resolution imagery and topographic maps. These areas were selected because they show signs of subsurface ice and relatively flat terrain, attributes important for landing spacecraft safely.
Among the three, AP-8 stood out as a top candidate. It featured a wide variety of landforms that suggest water ice activity in the past or present, such as certain types of terrain patterns and craters.
Terrain that hints at ice
Scientists focused on identifying specific surface features that signal the presence of buried ice:
Polygonal terrain: These crack-like patterns in the ground are common in cold regions on Earth and Mars and often mean ice is just beneath the surface. Two types were found—Knobby Polygon Terrain (KPT) and Smooth Polygon Terrain (SPT)—each indicating slightly different ice-related processes.
Brain Coral Terrain: With twisty ridges resembling brain tissue, this terrain type is linked to repeated freezing and thawing cycles. It's located at slightly lower elevations, which may make it easier to reach potential ice deposits.
Expanded Craters: These odd-looking craters seem to have grown larger over time, likely because of the melting and shifting of subsurface ice. The shapes and structures of these craters offer strong evidence of past water activity.
Inverted Craters: Even more unusual, some craters appear raised instead of sunken, a sign of erosion and protective layering that could preserve ancient ice beneath them.
A Landing site at Mars that ticks all boxes
Qualities that make these sites particularly exciting are that they are
Scientifically interesting (lots of variety in surface features)
Likely to contain water ice
Flat and safe enough for landing spacecraft
The combination of all three makes these spots ideal not just for landing, but for setting up a base and supporting long-term human exploration.
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