A team of astronauts need a form of transportation that is able to efficiently cover a minimum round trip distance of 5km from point A to point B. This form of transportation must be able to overcome the 3% Earth gravity of Ceres, below -105°C temperatures, rocky terrain and make the most of its limited power sources.
Ceres is the only known dwarf planet residing in the asteroid belt, according to IAU. Ironically named after Ceres, the Roman goddess of agriculture, It appears to be a boring, rocky, lifeless planet, but there is more to Ceres that meets the eye. Under the dull, grey surface lies what could possibly be a larger ocean than even that of Earth. Research and data collected by the NASA Dawn orbiter was examined by a group of Italian researchers who found that the sodium chloride deposits on Ceres’ surface comes from briny water seeping up to the surface and evaporating. After further investigation, the researchers found that the water came from an reservoir 25 miles below the Occator Crater, and could measure hundreds of miles wide.
The discovery of this salty ocean leads to a world of possibilities and opportunities that can be utilized in order to sustain human life on Ceres. By distilling the water below the surface, astronauts would have access to potable liquid water, an imperative resource for human life.
This map shows a portion of the northern hemisphere of Ceres with neutron counting data acquired by the gamma ray and neutron detector (GRaND) instrument aboard NASA’s Dawn spacecraft.
These data reflect the concentration of hydrogen in the upper yard (or meter) of regolith, the loose surface material on Ceres. The color information is based on the number of neutrons detected per second by GRaND. Counts decrease with increasing hydrogen concentration. The color scale of the map is from blue (lowest neutron count) to red (highest neutron count).
Lower neutron counts near the pole suggest the presence of water ice within about a yard (meter) of the surface at high latitudes.
(Caption taken from NASA photojournal)
Astronauts were able to figure this out using images taken by the NASA Dawn orbiter, which flew as close as 22 miles from the surface of Ceres. By analyzing the patterns of wavelengths through spectroscopy, scientists identified minerals like carbonates, phyllosilicates, and ammonium, leading scientists to hypothesize about Ceres’ water-rich history. Furthermore, they analyzed Ceres’ topography and geological features, and were able to interpret Ceres’ geological activity as well as possible cryovolcanic activity.
To the right is a cross section of Ceres. The second layer from outside in (light blue) is where liquid water resides, just under a thin layer of carbonates and dust.
However, one major issue for life on Ceres is the thickness of the crust. Although it is extremely thin when compared to the rest of Ceres, it is still at least 25 miles deep, almost 4 times as deep as the Mariana trench. This poses quite a few issues, the biggest being the challenge of digging through 25 miles of crust in order to access the water below. This could be solved by using an ultrasonic drill instead of a traditional drill, as an ultrasonic drill would break the particles into fine dust, which could then be vacuumed out.
Another problem we would face is the gravity of Ceres, or lack thereof. Having 6,000 times less mass than Earth, the gravity of Ceres is a mere 3% of that of Earth. This would make transportation quite difficult, as a tiny mistake like stepping too hard could send you into the abyss.
To circumvent this, compressed air jets could be used in order to propel our vehicle, and we could take advantage of the low gravity to create a spider like vehicle that travels on legs instead of the traditional tires, as it would prevent accidentally going over a bump and flying out to orbit.
Enhanced image of Ceres’ salt reservoirs. Blue represents where salt was found.
Most concentrated area of salt is the Occator Crater
Much of this information was derived from the NASA paper which reported on the findings of the Dawn orbiter which orbited Ceres, collecting data and photographs. Furthermore, some info also came from Britannica, a reputable encyclopedia. However, it is important to note that until landing missions are able to collect data directly from Ceres’ surface, what lies below its surface may be different from what is projected.
References:
Encyclopædia Britannica. (2024, October 25). Ceres. Encyclopaedia Britannica.
Retrieved November 6, 2024, from https://www.britannica.com/place/
Ceres-dwarf-planet
Patel, N. V. (2020, August 11). The dwarf planet ceres might be home to an underground ocean of water. MIT Technology Review. https://www.technologyreview.com/2020/08/11/1006447/ceres-largest-asteroid-dwarf-planet-underground-ocean-salty-water/
De Sanctis, M. C., Ammannito, E., Raponi, A., Frigeri, A., Ferrari, M., Carrozzo, F. G., Ciarniello, M., Formisano, M., Rousseau, B., Tosi, F., Zambon, F., Raymond, C. A., & Russell, C. T. (2020, August 10). Fresh emplacement of hydrated sodium chloride on Ceres from ascending salty fluids. Nature News. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-020-1138-8
Some background research was conducted with the use of Generative AI. Link to transcript
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