What is it about?
On Mars, thousands of trillions of loose "blueberries" are strewn on soil bed-forms across a plain larger in area than Lake Superior. The plain is called the Meridiani Planum. Blueberries are small, roughly spherical particles/pebbles, primarily made of an iron oxide called grey-hematite. Water acts on other minerals to form hematite. In 2004 NASA viewed the Meridiani planum as an excellent place to search for signs of life. Hematite is also one of the main minerals used to make iron and steel. This paper reviews the geological history of blueberries. It points out that loose blueberries can be picked up, harvested.
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Why is it important?
A small fraction of the blueberries are enough source material to make the infrastructure for a science station on Mars in a place rich with bound water. This infrastructure could include power generation equipment, storage tanks, landing pads, laboratories, and radio telescopes.
Perspectives
The Meridiani Planum is probably the best place on Mars to build a permanent science station.
Rif Miles Olsen
Two Planet Life and Two Planet Steel
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Iron Oxide Harvesting on Mars, November 2021, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA),
DOI: 10.2514/6.2021-4037.
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