Tag: Water

A Massive, and Very Accessible Ice Deposit on Mars

A Massive, and Very Accessible Ice Deposit on Mars

For future colonists, Mars’ Utopia Planitia  or “Plains of Paradise” may be rather aptly named despite its less than appealing appearance. In a paper highlighted last week on NASA.gov, scientists using the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter’s shallow ground penetrating radar (SHARAD) have concluded that the region contains a volume of ice equivalent to the amount of […]

Posted in: Mars
Another Day, Another Water World in Our Own Solar System

Another Day, Another Water World in Our Own Solar System

The solar system just keeps getting wetter and wetter. According to a new study published in Geophysical Research Letters, Enceladus is not the only Saturnian moon harboring a global ocean beneath its frozen surface. Based on new modeling, Dione, the fourth largest moon in the system, can now be called a water world as well. […]

Posted in: Outer Planets
NASA: Ocean World Europa Is Almost Certainly Venting Water Plumes into Space

NASA: Ocean World Europa Is Almost Certainly Venting Water Plumes into Space

NASA today announced further evidence supporting the existence of plumes erupting from the global salt water ocean which is believed to exist on Jupiter’s moon Europa. The discovery is based on a series of observations in the extreme ultra-violet end of the visible light spectrum as Europa passed in front of Jupiter during its the […]

Posted in: Outer Planets
ESO’s ALMA Makes First Observation of Snow Line in Space

ESO’s ALMA Makes First Observation of Snow Line in Space

One of the more noticeable themes in planetary science over the last few years has been the discovery that our solar solar system, and presumably many others as well, is a very wet place, brimming with water, ice and snow in some of the most unexpected locations, such as possible subsurface ocean on Pluto. But […]

Study: Ceres Likely Harbors Water Ice in Polar Craters

Study: Ceres Likely Harbors Water Ice in Polar Craters

A paper published in Geophysical Research Letters concludes that in addition to whatever ice reserves the dwarf planet Ceres may harbor under its surface, (and they could be substantial, including even a subsurface ocean) the largest body in the main asteroid belt has also likely accumulated quite a bit of water ice in permanently shadowed […]

Posted in: Asteroids, NASA
Leting NASA’s Curiosity Rover “Follow the Water” on Mars

Leting NASA’s Curiosity Rover “Follow the Water” on Mars

  After four years of studiosly ignoring what might be the most interesting destinations on its path due to concerns over planetary protection, NASA is consideing letting its Curisoity Rover operating in Mars’ Gale Crater, have a bit more leash. “Pending approval of a mission extension, NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover will continue to climb to […]

Posted in: Mars
Rocket Fuel Formula: Improving Electrolysis Through Better Catalysts

Rocket Fuel Formula: Improving Electrolysis Through Better Catalysts

A slew of recent discoveries point to our solar system being a much wetter place than we once thought it was. From permanently shadowed ice on the Moon, to seasonal Recurrent Slope Linea evidence on Mars, and subsurface oceans on outer planet moons, space offers an abundant supply of life’s most vital element. Melting a […]

Posted in: Space Settlement
Celebrating a Decade in Martian Orbit

Celebrating a Decade in Martian Orbit

NASA this week is celebrating the tenth anniversary of the arrival of the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter at the Red Planet. Over the ensuing decade, MRO has produced a seemingly endless array of high resolution images of the planet, in many cases changing the way we view what may be humanity’s next home and most importantly […]

Posted in: Uncategorized
Paragon Aims for 98% Water Recovery on ISS

Paragon Aims for 98% Water Recovery on ISS

Paragon Space Development Corporation Press Release:  Paragon Space Development Corporation® Wins NASA ISS Water Processor Development Contract TUCSON, AZ (February 22, 2016) – NASA has awarded Paragon with a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase III contract for the patented Ionomer-membrane Water Processor (IWP) System. IWP will provide the platform for up to 98% water […]

Posted in: ISS, NASA
Water Ice on Pluto Portents a Bright Future for Sailing the Solar System

Water Ice on Pluto Portents a Bright Future for Sailing the Solar System

From NASA, comments follow: “New data from NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft point to more prevalent water ice on Pluto’s surface than previously thought. This false-color image, derived from observations in infrared light by the Ralph/Linear Etalon Imaging Spectral Array (LEISA) instrument, shows where the spectral features of water ice are abundant on Pluto’s surface. It […]

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