UAE RESEARCH REVEALS PREFERRED PLACES TO LAND AND EXPLORE ON MARS

Ph.D. Student

While some might think that all it takes to explore Mars is to land on it, the truth is that it requires much more than that. To identify the suitable regions of Mars for future human exploration requires an integration of various data sources, statistical methods and expertise.

Yousef Mashal, Ph.D. student at Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi carried out a research entitled “Multi-Criteria Overlay Analysis for Identifying Preferred Exploration Zones on Mars”. Using a number of recently published global datasets, coupled with mapping techniques, statistical analysis, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS), he identified new zones on Mars that could be suitable for future exploration.

Yousef Mashal has always been interested in how scientists study earth and other planets using satellite generated datasets which is a field called remote sensing. Remote sensing helps analyze the atmosphere, surface, and subsurface characteristics of celestial bodies.

Mashal explains, “I found that studying outer space is the field I would be interested in the most. In particular, Mars is an interesting body to study. Trying to understand Mars is like playing a puzzle. You try to fit pieces together to extract some valuable information about the history of Mars. If there was life and if there is currently life hidden somewhere on the surface or below. I am convinced Mars will keep attracting enthusiasts with each passing day.”

The research

Using Multi-Criteria Overlay Analysis (MCOA), an analytical GIS technique, he and his team integrated and analyzed multiple spatial datasets published by various projects.

According to Mashal, a Multi-Criteria Overlay Analysis (MCOA) is a Geographic information system (GIS) technique, which utilizes datasets that were created by satellites numerically. He explains, “This technique combines various datasets using statistical analysis to try and extract useful information from them. Combining this method with the newest publications on Mars, we were able to narrow down the process of selecting the landing site to the most suitable ones according to our defined criteria. “

The method has been implemented using open-source tools like QGIS. QGIS is a geographic information system software that is free and open-source. This is a tool that allowed Mashal and his research team to visualize and analyze geospatial information.

In addition to the two above tools, an open-source tool called the GDAL (Geospatial Data Abstraction Library) python library also helped to create maps using criteria suitable to achieve the objectives of our study.

MCOA analysis assigned the highest value for human exploration objectives while assigning NULL values for locations that fail engineering constraints including and not exclusively elevations lower than 2 km, latitudes higher than 50 and thermal inertia < 100 J/m2s12/K. These locations are excluded from the calculations to reduce the area of exploration and reduce the computational cost.

The best locations, those with the highest MCOA values were mainly located in the mid-latitude, with the combination of the Highest Water equivalent hydrogen, Shallow water ice (SWIM), Aqueous Alteration Signatures, valleys, glacial like features, deltas, and major geologic contacts values and density of points combined.

Mashal explains, “Our preliminary studies show that the regions we have selected are promising for further in-depth studies because selecting a landing site for human explorers requires very precise analysis of data at all regional and local scales. This study can be used as a starting point for future studies.”

Implications for UAE Mars Mission

Mashal believes that the study conducted will not only be able to aid the UAE Mars mission, but also can be utilized for all planetary bodies in the solar system.

Mashal comments, “The study will help to determine future landing sites for both human and robotic missions on planets and asteroid bodies; it can also be used in other applications related to space exploration, like exploring certain types of rocks and minerals. The strength of this method comes from its flexibility according to the objectives of our mission and study.”

The Future Colonizing Mars

Mashal has no intent to stop. On the contrary, he plans to continue furthering his knowledge in remote sensing technologies. He believes this area of study will significantly impact the world’s knowledge of space science and other useful applications on earth.

The next frontier is to colonize Mars.

He states,” I believe that the space science community is currently at the stage of trying to understand the origin of our solar system by exploring the planets, moons, and asteroids by both remote and onsite methods. My next step would be to deepen my knowledge of Mars to understand more about its history and the processes that made Mars what it is today. This will hopefully help decision makers to finally reach the goal of colonizing that red planet.”

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