If Mars is further from the sun, then how did it's water evaporate?

Question

How did the water evaporate?

How are scientists going to beat the radiation problem to colonize?

I don't think the situation on mars can be over come for long term human existence.

If it froze ten we would not have to search for the lakes that were said to have existed....

Answer 1

The evaporation of water depends not just on temperature but also pressure! There is very little air pressure on Mars. I think most of the water is frozen anyway.
Who is seriously thinking of colonizing Mars?

Answer 2

It is "freeze dried" by the extremely low pressure of the atmosphere. Any water on the surface would quickly freeze in the cold while simultaneously boiling in the low pressure. I remember seeing a demonstration of that in a vacuum chamber in a physics class in college. The professor put a dish of water in the vacuum chamber and started the pump. As the pressure went down the water started boiling, and when the boiling had carried off enough heat, the water suddenly froze. I have never seen water freeze so suddenly. One second it was boiling water and less than 5 seconds later it was frozen solid!

After the water froze on the surface of Mars it would immediately start sublimating, or passing from the solid state (ice) directly to a gaseous state (water vapor). That process would be much slower, so ice could exist on the surface for some time, especially at the poles.

Answer 3

Because Mars lacks a magnetosphere, solar winds eroded the atmosphere which caused the air pressure to drop, making the water evaporate and eventually burn off along with the air. Future technologies may allow us to create an artificial ionosphere to shield the planet from radiation and make it hospitable for humanity. Much of the hard science necessary to terraform the planet doesn't yet exist, but there are many speculative discussions on the subject.

Answer 4

Low mass is the answer. All that ails Mars is related to the fact that it is very low in mass. It lost its geothermal heat early on which meant it lost its magnetosphere and volcanic outgassing. It was never massive enough to hold onto atmospheric gasses and without geologic activity to replenish the gasses lost the atmosphere just vented off into space. The solarwind could knaw at the atmosphere unhindered by a magnetosphere along with sunlight. The suns ultraviolett rays in particular is most responsible for killing water molecules (as on Venus). UV can split water into hydrogen and oxygen. The oxygen may stand a chance of remaining a while, reacting with other gasses and soil, but a hydrogen atom would blast into space like a rocket. And without hydrogen there can be no water. So no chance of terraforming Mars then. It is a science fiction pipe dream.

Answer 5

The boiling point of water decreases as atmopheric pressure decreases. The atmospheric pressure on the surface of Mars is only 0.7% of that on Earth. If you go up to 100,000ft altitude on Earth, your blood will boil even at -100c temperatures. On Mars liquid water immediately vaporizes.

Radiation on Mars is only 2.5 times that on the International Space Station and less than any astronauts will encounter during the long trip needed to get to Mars. Normal shielding necessary in the space craft and space suits are likely fine. A few feet of dirt would also likely work.

As for long term human existance... modern humans have been around for at least 60,000 year and yet only discovered powered flight about 100 years ago. Since then, we have put men on the moon, space craft to nearly all the planets, put space stations up, nuclear power, rockets, ion propulsion, etc. Imagine what another 250 years would do in terms of space exploration. In another 250 years or so, I'm sure folks will look at the Mars issue very differently.

Answer 6

I think part of the missing info is this:

Having "evapourated" into the atmosphere the lack of a decent magnetic field (because the core is probably now solid) the sun light breaks down the water molicules into hydrogen and oxygen (H2O). Hydrogen overcomes quick quickly the lack of gravity and leaks into space and the planets rocks are oxidised by the excess oxygen very quickly, making the planet red (at a distance).
Previously Mars was probably warm enough for liquid water, or certainly ice, but the loss of clouds is significant, because although we panic over CO2 as a greenhouse gas, methane is better but water vapour the abosulte best (on a friendly planet) so heat was also lost... spiralling down to what we have today.
Can we colonise Mars? Yes, logically, though no one has yet managed to create a zero loss environment (can any confirm that, please?) but they probably are not far off. So the biggest issue then is the logistics... if you build a ship to support one person for one month then you need to provide enough fuel to launch that ship, the food and water and "breathing air". And then you have you have to add fuel to lift the fuel and then fuel to lift that fuel. A decent colony on another body in the solar system of say 100 people would probably cost more than all the space agencies on earth could muster in many years.
Could man survive on Mars, not likely, you would constantly have to refresh the atmosphere and that would be via plants. but there are limited nutriants in the soil (figure on the humous in earth's soil) to allow plants to grow, Maybe bactirea could do it as they did on Earth but that requires heat through an atmosphere or volcanic activity. the radiation is easy but means that you would never be out in the sunshine on Mars in your shirtsleeves even were the temperature warmer.

I personally would volunteer to go tomorrow, though the wife may not be too happy about relocating THAT far away from her friends.

But I think you are right: well not in our lifetimes. Or maybe we will be glued to the tv in thirty years as avidly as they were 40 odd years ago when Buzz took his monumental first steps...

No citations, only my understanding and I am happy to be corrected on any or all points.

Thanks.

Answer 7

Because of runaway green house effect, water evaporated from the surface of the Mars.

Radiation can be overcomed by special radiation resistance suits, but still its dangerous.

Yes you are right, longterm human existance on mars is difficult until we find there is water beneath the surface of the mars. If there is liquid water or if there is a means of generating liquid water through mixture of gases, we can still survive on mars. But Mars can never replace Earth.

In far future when our sun becomes red giant, Mars may get an atmosphere similar to earth. Its just a prediction. Then we may think of moving to mars, well ahead of Sun becoming red giant. It may happen after a billion years.

Till then stay safe and enjoy Earth:)

Answer 8

Although Mars is further from the sun, and thus cooler, the mass of the planet is too small to hold onto any appreciable atmosphere. Due to lack of atmospheric pressure, any surface water would have sublimated and the molecules lost to space. There may be appreciable deposits of frozen, subsurface water. If that were the case and the water was available at shallow depths, limited colonization would be possible. Utterly Pointless, but possible.

Answer 9

finally certain, even if that's no longer a stunning element that's surely an rather slow procedure. the solar is getting about 10% hotter each 0.5 billion years, and in a million.5 billion years this may render the Earth uninhabitable, the floor temperature will be too warm for liquid water. yet Mars will be perfect. because the solar's output will enhance the "goldilocks zone" of the image voltaic gadget is going to flow extra and extra out. for this reason it would want to be a possibility, even necessary, to bounce frog extra and extra out as time is going on. it is especially a lot tutorial although i imagine if the human race survives (i exploit the time period human loosely the following) on the time-scale of billions of years then interstellar go back and forth will be a possibility, even even if that's at sub-gentle speeds. i'm a good proponent for manned Mars exploration with the purpose of colonisation and under no circumstances in billions of years yet this century. it is a small planet and there are 7 billion human beings cabbages now, we are living in a international of shrinking factors and in case you compromise for that image then in truth the different man or woman on the earth is your enemy, because we are all competing for a chunk of an ever shrinking pie. Mars is the subsequent logical step in guy's adventure to the celebrities. in uncomplicated words in a international of countless factors can all men be brothers. that's as uncomplicated as that we prefer to advance or die and Mars is the glaring first determination.

Answer 10

There was less water in the first place because it's smaller, and the low pressure of its atmosphere meant water had no liquid phase, so it evaporates immediately from ice at a very low temperature rather than at 100 centigrade.