The Necessity of Water in Science Fiction

Today is #WorldWaterDay. For as long as science fiction has turned its gaze to the stars the necessity of water has played both central and supporting roles in the genre.  Going to the moon? You had better find a source of ice. Mars? Best land your ship near those icecaps. Water filtration is critical on spaceships and the mass of the water needed for keeping humans healthy, and the fuel needed to move the mass of the water and the volume of the container needed to hold it all need to be taken into account when designing a spaceship. 
Of course a drought is a massive problem in any genre, as is a flood, but with science fiction an author has the pleasure and challenge of dealing with comets and icetroides. (icetroides, they are a thing, totally). So while any of the problems that face the world today can be picked up and told as stories IN SPACE there are worlds of other possibilities for science fiction authors to explore.
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