Massive Subsurface Ice Deposits in Southern Hemisphere, MARSIS results - LPSC 2006 Options

[edstrick]

Water that's essentially frozen, or combined as hydrate in rocks like the Meridiani and Gusev evaporite and salt deposits is probably widely distributed on Mars, but harder than <deleted> to detect directly. One of the things that Marsis is looking for but I suspect is not seeing is a transition between the cryo-lithosphere <frozen megaregolith> and a mid-crustal water-table, kept warm by geo-<aero->thermal heat flow. I think the overall suspician pre-mission is that it wouild be too deep and too attenuated by iron-rich rock absorption of the radiowaves to be detected.

Future missions might carry a super-Marsis payload... more complex antennas giving a more directional vertical beam, much more radiated power.. more antenna/receiver sensitivity.... Not trivial. Longer wavelengths might help probe deeper., but at the expense of horiffically long antenna, difficulty with even the nighttime atmosphere, and lower vertical resolution.

[Gsnorgathon]

Would a global network of seismometers be able to detect a Martian hydrosphere? (And how much would it cost?)

[MarsIsImportant]

Would a global network of seismometers be able to detect a Martian hydrosphere? (And how much would it cost?)

I'm sure a careful search of the data would eventually reveal one if it were present. A network of seismometers is absolutely necessary on Mars. I'm sure that it will happen within the next 30 years, if not much sooner.

Finding a Martian hydrosphere is important, but would be one of the least interesting things that researchers would be looking for. The internal structure of Mars is likely to be very different than Earth's. And industry would be extremely interested in commercially viable resources that they could easily exploit. Seisometers could reveal an incredible amount that is hidden underneath the surface of Mars. Much of the detailed work might have to wait for actual human presence; but if it can be done robotically sooner, then the effort would be well worth it.

[CosmicRocker]

Astrobiology magazine has an informative interview with Jeff Plaut, the co-Principal investigator of the MARSIS radar instrument.