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from the how-are-those-aluminum-wheels-working-out-for-you-now dept.
A photo released by the ESA Thursday shows a 51 mile wide flat circle of water-ice on Mars in the mile deep Korolev crater that resembles an alien ice skating rink
The water is frozen in a location that allows it to remain perpetually frozen and consists of 531 cubic miles of ice.
The photo was stitched together from five images captured by a high-resolution camera aboard the [Mars Orbiter Express], which has been circling the Red Planet for the past 15 years. Each of the five "strips" used to create the composite image was taken during a separate orbit.
The article notes that
"This particular crater is very close to the polar ice cap, and the inside of the crater is at a lower elevation and more shadowed, so it creates a cold trap where the ice is stable"
This is reminiscent of the Lunar ice containing cold traps that may be used for oxygen, water, and fuel by future moon installations.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday December 24 2018, @08:43PM (1 child)
So mars-murdo station then?
Is there anybody whose figured out the amount of insulation this would provide to a station submerged in it? By the shadows there looks to be some exposed ice cliffs around the edges. Also I'm wondering about the SE corner. The ice there looks polished, like maybe freeze thaw cycle or something. Very cool. Thanks for the post RandomFactor
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 25 2018, @03:22PM
Not mars-murdo. Search for 'greenland icecap base' to find out about a real cold-war under-the ice US military base. This location provides great protection from radiation. It also minimizes the dust problem. And since it's nearly polar, solar panels rotating on a mast could provide continuous power, though a nuclear reactor may be a better choice.