What Would Water on Mars Be Like?

The red planet is the most likely human outpost in outer space. Setting up a manned colony on the fourth planet from the sun has been a project that a number of space exploration agencies have been hoping to do. It will take the help of a number of countries to make it a success because no single country can spare the resources or has the skill sets that will be required to make this project a success.

One of the primary concerns about making this colony self sufficient is proving adequate food and water. Most of the water on Mars is not in liquid form. It’s mostly in ice chunks, and they have a whole lot of the the martian soil mixed in with it. So if you were to dissolve the ice and drink it, it would be highly salty and not suited for human consumption.

The low atmospheric pressure on Mars makes ice sublime directly into gas without melting into liquid. If the water is distilled in a pressurized habitat, the liquid water may become possible. Although it is unlikely to taste like the water we drink here on earth, it should hopefully be enough to sustain body functions.  Only another science project working on the problem will be able to tell for sure.