Subsurface Ice on Mars Crucial for Future Habitats on Other Planets

Purdue University planetary scientist Ali Bramson’s research is laying the foundation for future extraterrestrial exploration. She is focused on finding ice deposits beneath the barren surfaces of the moon and Mars, providing a buried resource important for future human habitats and even space travel itself. Subsurface ice also is a compelling target for astrobiology, climatology, and geology research.

Bramson is continuing work that began with Mars through NASA’s Subsurface Water Ice Mapping project. Radar analysis from spacecraft orbiting Mars probed beneath the planet’s surface, looking for indicators of where ice is likely located across the planet. Data from spectrography and visual imagery also was utilized in the project.

“We can see ice on the surface at Mars’ poles, and we’re beginning to understand how much is buried under the subsurface at lower latitudes as well,” said Bramson, an assistant professor in the Department of Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences in Purdue University’s College of Science. “But we still don’t have a good understanding of how much subsurface ice could be on the Earth’s moon.”

Bramson’s findings will offer early ideas about where future habitats on both the moon and Mars could be located, in terms of use by astronauts as well as travel capabilities; water can be used as part of the fuel for rockets.

Bramson’s work is already moving from examining radar findings provided by orbiting spacecraft to exploring the potential of mobile cart-like radar systems on the ground. “These systems can send radio waves into the ground and then listen for a signal to bounce off of materials in the subsurface,” she said. “The systems can help us learn about what is in the subsurface without having to use destructive techniques to find it.”

The ground-based radar systems work by transmitting radio waves into the surface and measuring the reflected signals from different materials and layers beneath. By analyzing these radar echoes, scientists can map the subsurface structure and identify the presence of ice deposits or other materials of interest.

To test the capabilities of these radar systems, Bramson has planned several field campaigns in diverse environments. In 2024, her team will conduct tests in Iceland, searching for buried snow deposits covered by volcanic ash. These conditions mimic the icy layers and dusty surface of Mars, providing an opportunity to evaluate the radar’s performance in realistic scenarios.

Additionally, Bramson’s team will utilize a walk-in freezer at Purdue University to simulate Martian conditions at negative 20 degrees Celsius (negative 4 degrees Fahrenheit). By creating controlled environments with layers of ice and dust, they can further assess the radar’s ability to measure and differentiate these layers with precision.

The data collected from these field tests and laboratory experiments will be crucial for refining the radar techniques and interpreting the subsurface radar data from Mars. By validating the radar performance in various environments, Bramson aims to develop a robust understanding of how to accurately detect and map subsurface ice deposits on other planets, paving the way for future exploration missions and potential human habitats.