The lower part of the James River is actually an estuary, a place where salt water transitions into fresh water. The site the settlers picked for Jamestown is about 40 miles (64.4 kilometers) from the Chesapeake Bay and only 57 miles (91.7 kilometers) from the Atlantic Ocean. Credit: National Park Service, Colonial National Historical Park Image to right: Artist's rendition of an aerial view of 17th century Jamestown. Unfortunately, the settlers' inexperience in this new environment led to disaster. The river the colonists would name the James appeared to taste "sweet" at the site of the fort, so no thought was given to digging wells. The English settlers chose Jamestown Island for their colony because they could easily navigate their small ships close to shore, and the nearby swamps would enable them to more easily defend their settlement. Examination of lunar soil in the moon's polar regions during future missions could reveal much about the nature and extent of frozen water there.įor pioneers, finding a dependable source of drinkable water usually meant the difference between life and death. Tests that determine the degree of acid in the soil, its pH value, on a planet like Mars should indicate what gases have formed and then modified the Martian atmosphere.
![get fresh body water get fresh body water](https://www.herbsnatura.com/wp-content/uploads/lemon_water-1920x1440.jpg)
Scientists think the same is true elsewhere in the solar system. On Earth, liquid water interacts with soil in predictable ways. Because clues to the early history of the moon and Mars may be locked in waters hidden beneath their surfaces, NASA is planning new missions to these worlds to answer questions about the role water may have played in their formation. And there may be water locked away below ancient martian seas, now dry plains marked only by dune-like martian soils and rocky residues. According to initial scientific data returned by NASA's Lunar Prospector, water ice exists at both the north and south poles of the moon. Water may exist on other bodies in the solar system, like Mars and the moon. The hunt for water continues to drive exploration today, even beyond Earth. Ports were key points of entry for ships bringing people, goods and news from home.
![get fresh body water get fresh body water](https://www.floridagofishing.com/_images/fish/crab-hermit-body-noaa.jpg)
Early settlements, like the first permanent English colony in North America in Jamestown, Va., were established near oceans, bays and large rivers that provided a "highway" for trade and travel. Credit: NASAīefore the development of automobiles and airplanes, water was a passageway for transportation. Image above: The Sea-viewing Wide Field-of-View Sensor (SeaWiFS), aboard the OrbView-2 satellite, has given researchers an unprecedented view of the biological engine that drives life on Earth. Water creates an environment that sustains and nurtures plants, animals and humans, making Earth a perfect match for life in general. None of the essential physical functions, such as breathing, digestion, or muscle movement could take place without water.Ībout 70 percent of the human body is made up of water and, coincidentally, more than 70 percent of Earth is covered in water. Without water, basic physical processes would be impossible. From ancient times, explorers have "followed the water." Water's unique chemical and physical properties are essential to human survival.