Water on Mars
Previous data clearly hinted at its existence, but now there's proof. I dunno, it's not like that will affect my life today or tomorrow, but I still get excited by news like this.
Laboratory tests aboard NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander have identified water in a soil sample. The lander's robotic arm delivered the sample Wednesday to an instrument that identifies vapors produced by the heating of samples."We have water," said William Boynton of the University of Arizona, lead scientist for the Thermal and Evolved-Gas Analyzer, or TEGA. "We've seen evidence for this water ice before in observations by the Mars Odyssey orbiter and in disappearing chunks observed by Phoenix last month, but this is the first time Martian water has been touched and tasted."
With enticing results so far and the spacecraft in good shape, NASA also announced operational funding for the mission will extend through Sept. 30. The original prime mission of three months ends in late August. The mission extension adds five weeks to the 90 days of the prime mission.
Cool. Our martian colonies will be up and running soon enough. Then we can f*ck up two planets. Hurray!
McChuck wrote:
Either that or Martian microbes will attack us in an ironic twist on War of the Worlds.
I enjoy irony.
McChuck wrote:
Sweet!
When do we start mining it?
private String paula = "Brillant";
This is really important. The next big thing is whether or not we find life, and what it looks like if we do. Even if it's just microbes, it could tell us a lot where we come from.
If Mars life is wildly different, that would mean life is probably common overall, and our flavor probably arose directly on Earth. If it's very similar, it means we don't know whether it's common or not, or where it came from, but the chances are reasonably good that it originally arose in some other place and was 'seeded' to both planets. (Or, alternately, depending on the DNA evidence, that it arose on one of the planets and a chunk was knocked loose by something and drifted to the other body.)
If we don't find life at all, then we don't learn as much, but even negative evidence is still useful.
Most people miss the fact that there is life on this very planet that is wildly different. As in non-carbon based life.
(@)
Some of the recent reports I've seen in the press are a bit under-informed. We've known for decades that Mars has water. It has turned up in a variety of ways: the Martian polar ice caps contain millions of cubic kilometers of water ice; orbiting probes have provided evidence of more ice below the surface; the Viking landers took pictures of water-ice frost back in the '70s; and the atmosphere contains trace amounts of water vapor. That Mars has water ice is by no means exciting news. What's new here is that we've managed to do more than just photograph it.
What would be really cool is if we could confirm that Mars still has liquid water.
Nobody has yet documented non-carbon-based life. Unless of course you refer to the freakish prop comedian, Gallagher.
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The only element I'm aware of that's even been hypothesized to be capable of being substrate for life is silicon, and there are even serious concerns about whether even that is terribly plausible. Carbon is fairly unique in its ability to form complex chains or structures. Trying finding something like a buckyball, in any other element. Ideas to do with non carbon-based life are purely science-fiction, and frankly might even be a little out-there for "hard" sci-fi. Only a tetra-electronic element could really be workable, and among that group, only carbon and silicon are at all plausible. And silicon, not very.
"PEACE ON EARTH. GOOD WILL TO MEN. PUBLIC SHELTER. ADMISSION 50¢"
Is there non-carbon-based life on earth? I've read that all animals and plants could be stricken from the earth and 99.9% of biochemical variation would be preserved in the single-celled lifeforms, but I didn't know about this.
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Umm...
You realize that's just a TV show right?
We were talking about this at work yesterday. And an interesting idea came up, that Mars is what Earth going to be after couple hundred (we were being pessimistic obviously
) years.
The next thing that we'll find is a civilization that didn't care for its environment and perished. But in one last desperate move, they sent a probe full of Martian microbes to Earth. So, we are all actually Martians!!!
/wild and crazy day dreaming
Decisions are just decisions, there are neither "good" or "bad"
LobsterMobster wrote:
nah! But all I know is we need to get our ass to mars. Triple breasted martians await!
Xfire: Pharacon
Tempest says: "A team hat doe snot communicate and talk to each other about what the next move will be is going to lose."
Mex is my hero = "f*ck it, I'll do it. WE'LL DO IT LIVE."
Somebody's been watching Mission to Mars...
"PEACE ON EARTH. GOOD WILL TO MEN. PUBLIC SHELTER. ADMISSION 50¢"
No, I think he's talking about Total Recall.
LiquidMantis wrote:
Bah why bother with the planet when we know the Martians are living under our seas, as documented in Terror from the Deep.
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COHEEGAN!
McChuck wrote:
Oh for Christ's sake, I wish I could unsee that movie. I never walked out on a movie in my life, but MtM was the one that really made me think about doing that.
Give those people air!
"Men like sex, thus boobies! Oogaba!" - dejanzie
"If ads put your sanity to the test
come on down to Rat Boy's nest!
light up a stogie, and soon you'll see
how rock can be commercial-free!
'I'd hit it!'" - HP Lovesauce
my favorite quote from the movie... GGGAHAAAAAHHHAAAAHHHHHAAAA. Arnold with bug eyes.. wonderful.
Xfire: Pharacon
Tempest says: "A team hat doe snot communicate and talk to each other about what the next move will be is going to lose."
Mex is my hero = "f*ck it, I'll do it. WE'LL DO IT LIVE."
Actually that is a theory that is floating around (well sort of, minus the civilization part). Some theorize that life may have come from outer space, carried in comets and bits of matter ejected from planets when large impact events occur.
"Also, I have four legs and am covered in wool. Baa!" *Legion* reveals his inner furry.
It's impossible to spell "air" the way he pronounced it.
Fedaykin98 wrote:
wordsmythe wrote:
Ahem.
"Personally I'm looking forward to buying a PC with a 128 core processor integrated with 32tb of memory in about 10 years time. Shortly there after Will Wright's Spore 3 will become self aware and annihilate humanity in a nuclear holocaust."
I was referring to lethial, but yeah, the tri-boob is a Total Recall thing. Phil would be... proud? Or sad? Not sure which.
"PEACE ON EARTH. GOOD WILL TO MEN. PUBLIC SHELTER. ADMISSION 50¢"
Somebody looking for water? Hmmm?
I'm not lost. I'm locationally challenged.
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Valiant effort.
Fedaykin98 wrote:
wordsmythe wrote:
Panspermia. Tee hee.
I generated a virtual world in the toilet bowl this morning.
-- Podunk on the PS3's mystical, magical abilities
They use this explanation because we have few theories on how life could have started on earth but they always fail to explain why it would be easier for life to start on another world. To me this is just avoiding the question of how life started not a thoery of it.
The quintessential brit
Eef I'm not me, den who da hell am I?
"Men like sex, thus boobies! Oogaba!" - dejanzie
"If ads put your sanity to the test
come on down to Rat Boy's nest!
light up a stogie, and soon you'll see
how rock can be commercial-free!
'I'd hit it!'" - HP Lovesauce
AUGHGHAUGHARGHRRAGH.
So I checked, and it's more like "cmon COHAGEN. Yoo gat what you whaaahnt. Geef dis people EIRGH!"
That said...
You are all here, witness to the most momentous occasion to ever occur on the internet.
Ladies.
Gentlemen.
I give to you...
"Personally I'm looking forward to buying a PC with a 128 core processor integrated with 32tb of memory in about 10 years time. Shortly there after Will Wright's Spore 3 will become self aware and annihilate humanity in a nuclear holocaust."
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