A lot of Mars explorations see it as a place ready for human exploration to uncover the planet's history and potential to sustain microbial life. The question is, what is the best way to examine the planet?
The JM Marineris
The JM Marineris may be the answer to this. As per NationWorldNews, it's a canyon system that intersects the planet's surface for 2,500 miles, which covers about one-fifth of Mars' circumference. At some points, the vast gorge is 125 miles wide, while in some places, the canyon floor is five miles deep. With that, it's definitely deeper than the Earth's Grand Canyon.
Several scholars have identified and named the area as "Noctis Landing." According to Space, it is in a very strategic location that allows visits to the shortest possible surface of Mars Tharsis plus Valles Marineris, which are a key feature and region on the planet that reveals the longest record of Mars' geology and evolution over time.
Tharsis is a region on the planet with the longest and most extensive volcanic history. In fact, it probably is still active.
Also Read: NASA Perseverance: Sand Transport on Mars Now Under Investigation from Rover
According to Pascal Lee, a scientist at NASA's Ames, "It seems to me that, when it comes to planning a manned mission to Mars, we probably want to think about theoretical scientific goals ink a non-location-specific way."
He also said that we should start looking for human landing sites because that would provide ways to extract water locally and where it would make sense to establish a base that will be ideal for long-term exploration.
Lee believes that the site Noctis Landing may be the spot as he believes that it is flat transitional region that is located between Noctic Labyrinthus and Valleys Marineris.
Additionally, Noctis Landing has a wide range of regions of interest that will be perfect for short-term exploration. There is also no rock climbing required here, and you can access all rock layers of the canyon. This is all due to the huge Oudemans impact crater located near the Noctis Landing, where giant slabs of Valles Marineris canyon walls are laid flat there that are ready for exploration.
As for the water, it was reported by the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences in Moscow, Russia, that there is a significant quantity of hidden water in the central part of Valles Marineris. They have found evidence of unusually high hydrogen abundances in the heat of Valles Marineris on Mars via the TGO-toted Fine Resolution Epithermal Neutron Detector (FREND) neutron telescope.
It seems like this is THE spot to send humans to Mars. Could it be the answer?
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Written by April Fowell
