They are not so much looking for water which is useful to humans but the presence of which is necessary for and might indicate the presence of alien life. Many bacteria and other creatures on earth can survive in water from boiling to freezing. But even ice, say at the poles, could help colonists who can treat the water or even use the ice to help create an atmosphere a la Total Recall, once such technology exists. It is certainly scientifically possible to create an atmosphere where none exists just like we are destroying ours. Never happen though until we stop fighting over our own limited resources and work together to grow in knowledge and expand into the vast galaxy of ours. If we worked as hard at colonizing Mars as we did at creating the atomic bomb we would already have a base there.
We really ought to be careful with our use of the word, "create." Man does not
really "create" anything. We can manufacture, or make, or reorganize or design,
or produce, or form, or write, or build, or press, or forge, or raise, etc. But when
it comes to "creation," we would have to first cause the materials and matter to
come into existence out of which we make or forge or produce something from
the materials. If the matter and materials are already there, we are not creating
the thing made or produced or built.
Therefore, if we were to take existing ice and form an atmosphere with the ice, it
would not be "creating" an atmosphere, because we used existing ice. So it would
only be possible for God to "create an atmosphere where none exists." It's
backwards to compare that to "destroying an existing atmosphere" which does
not result in "nothing," but in "something." So-called scientists are all too quick to
think they can play God. Maybe that's because a lot of them are "doctors."
We did not "create" an atomic bomb. Where did we get the uranium? Did we
create the radioactive elements too? Atomic bombs are built or formed or made
or manufactured by men but men cannot "create" them. Nor did man create the
concept of atomic bombs. Men designed bombs, and men discovered the
principles that go into engineering an atomic bomb, but man does not create
an atomic bomb.
Curiosity was not created by man, nor was the spacecraft and Mars rover created
by man. It
is scheduled to make its descent and landing in 18 minutes from now,
but we will not be watching for anything man created on Mars.
Creation is not in the power of man. We are incapable of creating anything. Even
ideas that come into our minds are not our own, but come to us from outside
influences, often times things we are not aware of, but outside nonetheless. It is
an utter act of pride for man to think he can create anything.
I just came in from watching Mars through a telescope that was not created by
man, but manufactured.