NASA to annouce life on Mars

[The diplomat]

This is exciting. I hope this does encourage people for human exploration.

[Proteus_MST]

Ah, they would like to bring back Mars Rocks Home,
to look for Fossils they could possibly contain.

[Shogun Gunner]

just reporter questions now...

lots of geological evidence of water

[The Emperor Fabulous]

CNN) -- Mission accomplished.

NASA scientists say the Mars rovers have found what they were looking for: Hard evidence that the red planet was once "soaking wet."

"We have concluded the rocks here were once soaked in liquid water," said Steve Squyres of Cornell University. He's the principal investigator for the science instruments on Opportunity and its twin rover, Spirit.

"The second question we've tried to answer: Were these rocks altered by liquid water? We believe definitively, yes," said Squyres.

Squyres and other NASA officials made the announcement at NASA headquarters in Washington, after several days of giving tantalizing hints that something significant had been discovered.

"Three and a half years ago, in July 2000, we were on stage here to talk about sending two rovers to get evidence of past water. NASA and its international partners have turned those dreams to reality," said Ed Weiler, NASA associate administrator for space science.

Scientists used instruments on board the golf cart-sized rovers to study the composition of the rocks and soil on the planet. The rocks' physical appearance, plus the detection of sulfates, make the case for a watery history, and more important, an environment that could have been hospitable to life.

Spirit and Opportunity were sent to opposite sides of the planet with the possibility of investigating different types of terrain. Spirit, the first rover to arrive on January 3, landed near the Gusev Crater, which may once have held a lake.

But geologists and other researchers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, were thrilled when they saw the possibilities surrounding Opportunity, which landed three weeks later. It landed inside a small crater in the Meridiani Planum, one of the flattest places on the planet. And its landing site was within driving distance for the spacecraft to reach an exposed slice of bedrock.

Since its landing January 25, Opportunity has used the same tools as a human field geologist would to determine the chemical contents of the rocks. Using an alpha particle X-ray spectrometer, a device that can identify chemical elements, scientists have identified a high concentration of sulfur in the bedrock.

Another instrument on board, a Moessbauer spectrometer, has detected an iron sulfate mineral known as jarosite. From their knowledge of rocks on earth, scientists say rocks with as much salt as this Mars rock either formed in water, or had a long exposure to water after they were formed. The scientists say these rocks could have formed in an acidic lake or even a hot springs.

Scientists say the case for a watery past is further strengthened by the pictures taken by the rovers' panoramic cameras and its microscopic imager. One target rock, named "El Capitan," is filled with random pockmarks. Geologists say a texture like that comes from sites where salt crystals have formed in rocks that have sat in salt water.

Scientists say they have gained other clues from the physical appearance of the rocks. They see a pattern called "crossbedding," which is often the result of wind or water moving across the rock's surface.

The cost of the two rover missions is about $820 million dollars. With solar panels and lithium-ion battery systems aboard, each rover is expected to function and communicate with earth for about 90 Mars days, known as "sols." That's equivalent to 92 earth days.

[The Viceroy]

Wonderful news.. glad to see some fellow apolytoners sharing the same sense of awe (or is it ore ) that I have felt with this news.

Since I was a child, Id studied Mars, and wondered if it ever had been more hospitable , trying to imagine a body of water on mars is re-shaping everything I have ever imagined ..

This announcement goes nowhere near the subject of life, and I didn't expect it to, but there is still someway to go.

Its hard to believe how lucky opportunity has been landing in that crater .. top marks to whoever picked the general landing area .. im sure they never dreamed it would be so revealing.

At -40'c, it is conceivable that some water still remains below the surface !! That would make a manned mission to Mars much more plausable.

[Solver]

Good news. Watched the press conference, loved that Steve guy's style. Interesting points about possible future plans...

[Tripledoc]

Interstellar vira - real and virtual.

Could a signal from the stars broadcast by an alien intelligence also carry harmful information, in the spirit of a computer virus? Could star folk launch a "disinformation" campaign -- one that covers up aspects of their culture? Perhaps they might even mask the "real" intent of dispatching a message to other civilizations scattered throughout the Cosmos.

Ultimately, what may be needed is a protocol similar to the one for biological contamination of a probe returning from space -- like that discussed in handling surface materials brought back from Mars. The prospect of a virulent microbe from Mars doing damage to Earth's ecosystem cannot be dismissed.

Read more

It would be especially dangerous if it was proven that mars once contained more advanced forms of life, since the microbes may have been designed to destroy. And the microbes might carry computer vira within them, capable of transmitting themselves deep into any analytical computer which is exposed to the data.

Also think what would happen if a microbe that is capable of surving on mars would arrive on earth where the environment is more conducive to life. The microbe might grow exponentially

[Rogan Josh]

Originally posted by Tripledoc
It would be especially dangerous if it was proven that mars once contained more advanced forms of life, since the microbes may have been designed to destroy. And the microbes might carry computer vira within them, capable of transmitting themselves deep into any analytical computer which is exposed to the data.

Also think what would happen if a microbe that is capable of surving on mars would arrive on earth where the environment is more conducive to life. The microbe might grow exponentially

Don't you think that's a little paranoid?

[Ned]

Steve said liquid water might exist several hundred meters deep. Water Ice does exists at the poles.

There seems to be a very high likelihood of find life on Mars, not extinct life, but existing life.

We really need to invest a lot more in these rovers and return vehicles.

Still, the contamination issue must be of concern.

[Rogan Josh]

It is all just such a huge waste of money. What is the point of trying to explore Mars? They will not find existing life there and I very much doubt that they will find extinct life either.

Wouldn't we be better spending the money on all the problems we have down here on Earth?

[Starchild]

Curses. Tripledoc has somehow figured out our plan. What's the point in being a civlisation millions of years older than humanity when such people exist to foil all the devious workings of the transcendii? We'll have to figure out a new way to ruin mankind's lot.

I knew we should have just thrown a very, very big rock at Earth.

[Japher]

Rogan Josh is a Martian who has been sent to Earth in an attempt to prevent us from discovering his kind.

I say we do as he asks and just blow the planet out of the sky... Mars Rocks for everyone!!!

Seriously,

This is good news, and I hope there is life on Mars so that once and for all I can't stop hearing that stupid story about Adam and Eve.

[Rogan Josh]

I find that last remark offensive and insist that Japher be banned.

[Japher]

See? He's trying to stop the truth from being heard!

[dainbramage20]

I dont understand some things about this tho. Mars may have only been wet for a few hundred thousand years. What conditions were different during those years that are different now? Surely something catalysmic must have happened. Or the planets core is cold and was fubared. Or wasnt it foobared since its creation??? It was only internally active for the first 100 million years. Seems red-faced scientists have alot of updating of there history books, as usual . Clearly the pieces of the puzzle wont fit with the current mars timeline.


The good news about life.......

This lends new credibility to the ancient/present life on mars theory. If fossils are found, Simple or complex, the the atmosphere may have been thriving with life. Then it may turn out that the structures at the mysterouis 'Cydonia' site are infact evidence of an ancient civilization. Which excites me greatly. I thought the smooth like Pyramid stuctures were strange since Viking first took them.