Flowing Water on Mars?

[The Unknown Poster]

http://www.businessinsider.com.au/theres-growing-speculation-nasa-is-about-to-announce-it-discovered-flowing-water-on-mars-2015-9

 

NASA today made a very brief announcement that it’s preparing to share details of a “major science finding” early next week.

 

The space agency gave out a list of participants who will speak, and notice of a “brief question-and-answer session”, so there’s not a lot to go on.

 

But a couple of names on the list have journalists and bloggers speculating that NASA is about announce it has found evidence of water on Mars. Possibly even flowing water.

 

Lujendra Ojha is a grad student and PhD candidate in planetary science at Georgia Tech.

 

But it was as an undergrad at the University of Arizona where Ohja made a lot of headlines in 2011. At 21, the science fiction fan and Nepal native co-authored a study that suggested liquid water flowed during the warmer months on Mars.

 

“It was a lucky accident,” he told CNN at the time. Ohja had noticed irregular features in images taken for another study of gullies in Mars craters by UA researcher Colin Dundas.

 

As the images had been taken over time, they varied due to a range of distortions, such as shadows. Ohja one day decided to start removing the distortions using a computer algorithm, just to see if any changes could be noticed over time.

 

“Finger-like” features materialised over time, and they weren’t related to the gullies Dundas was interested in.

 

“When I first saw them, I had no idea what it was,” he told CNN. “I just thought it was a streak made by dust or something similar.”

 

Where the water was coming from was still up for debate. As Ohja said at the time:

 

“There’s going to be years of research put into this to even prove that this is definitely a proof of water.”

 

And obviously, where there’s water, there’s always the prospect of life.

 

On Tuesday, September 29, at 1pm (AEST), we may find out.

 

 

***I'm a space buff and I love this news (or speculation).  Its truly astounding if true. 

[Atomic]

I'd be surprised, shocked really, if they have found water on Mars.  That would be quite the news.

[iso_55]

I hope I live to see a manned mission to Mars. 

[The Unknown Poster]

I'd be surprised, shocked really, if they have found water on Mars.  That would be quite the news.

 

 

Well...

 

Water on Mars exists today almost exclusively as ice, with a small amount present in the atmosphere as vapor.^[1] The only place where water ice is visible at the surface is at the north polar ice cap.^[2] Abundant water ice is also present beneath the permanent carbon dioxide ice cap at the Martian south pole and in the shallow subsurface at more temperate latitudes.^[3][4][5][6] More than five million cubic kilometers of ice have been identified at or near the surface of modern Mars, enough to cover the whole planet to a depth of 35 meters.^[7] Even more ice is likely to be locked away in the deep subsurface.

 

So we know there is water on mars.  This would be astounding because it would be actual flowing water along the surface of Mars.  And flowing water is a great place for life.

 

I heard about this a couple of years ago and I guess its taken this long to fully research it.  They really do need boots on the ground.  I love the idea that Mars was once as lush as Earth.  Just mind boggling to think about.

 

There are those that think NASA (and by extension the government) has been inching closer to "disclosure" of life in the universe.  Even the Vatican came out awhile back and said if science proves life exists elsewhere in the universe, it doesnt preclude God or religion.

 

The big take away if they can find even microbial life on Mars is, if TWO planets in the same Solar System have life, then it essentially means the universe is likely teeming with life at various stages of development.  Unless...you believe in panspermia:

 

The leading theory on how life begun is abiogenesis — that life spontaneously formed from organic compounds, which themselves spontaneously formed. What we don’t know is whether abiogenesis occurred here on Earth, or whether it occurred elsewhere in the universe and then was deposited here via a meteorite

 

According to new research presented at the annual Goldschmidt geochemistry conference in Florence, there is compelling evidence that life on Earth was kick-started by a meteorite from Mars bearing simple, RNA-based organisms. Furthermore, the same research also indicates that the ancient, primordial surface of Earth would’ve been inhospitable to the formation of the building blocks of life (RNA, DNA, and proteins) — therefore, the only way that life could’ve begun more than three billion years ago is if it arrived here from Mars.

 

 

ISO - I agree.  When I think about dying of old age one day, one of the "regrets" or whatever I think about is, will I live to see the day man walks on Mars?  That would be unbelievable.

[iso_55]

 

I'd be surprised, shocked really, if they have found water on Mars.  That would be quite the news.

 

 

Well...

 

Water on Mars exists today almost exclusively as ice, with a small amount present in the atmosphere as vapor.^[1] The only place where water ice is visible at the surface is at the north polar ice cap.^[2] Abundant water ice is also present beneath the permanent carbon dioxide ice cap at the Martian south pole and in the shallow subsurface at more temperate latitudes.^[3][4][5][6] More than five million cubic kilometers of ice have been identified at or near the surface of modern Mars, enough to cover the whole planet to a depth of 35 meters.^[7] Even more ice is likely to be locked away in the deep subsurface.

 

So we know there is water on mars.  This would be astounding because it would be actual flowing water along the surface of Mars.  And flowing water is a great place for life.

 

I heard about this a couple of years ago and I guess its taken this long to fully research it.  They really do need boots on the ground.  I love the idea that Mars was once as lush as Earth.  Just mind boggling to think about.

 

There are those that think NASA (and by extension the government) has been inching closer to "disclosure" of life in the universe.  Even the Vatican came out awhile back and said if science proves life exists elsewhere in the universe, it doesnt preclude God or religion.

 

The big take away if they can find even microbial life on Mars is, if TWO planets in the same Solar System have life, then it essentially means the universe is likely teeming with life at various stages of development.  Unless...you believe in panspermia:

 

The leading theory on how life begun is abiogenesis — that life spontaneously formed from organic compounds, which themselves spontaneously formed. What we don’t know is whether abiogenesis occurred here on Earth, or whether it occurred elsewhere in the universe and then was deposited here via a meteorite

 

According to new research presented at the annual Goldschmidt geochemistry conference in Florence, there is compelling evidence that life on Earth was kick-started by a meteorite from Mars bearing simple, RNA-based organisms. Furthermore, the same research also indicates that the ancient, primordial surface of Earth would’ve been inhospitable to the formation of the building blocks of life (RNA, DNA, and proteins) — therefore, the only way that life could’ve begun more than three billion years ago is if it arrived here from Mars.

 

 

ISO - I agree.  When I think about dying of old age one day, one of the "regrets" or whatever I think about is, will I live to see the day man walks on Mars?  That would be unbelievable.

 

It would be humankind's crowning achievement.

[basslicker]

Our crowning achievement should be not killing each other.

Mars is a waste of time and effort and money. We should focus on being better stewards of earth rather than defiling the universe.

But I understand mankind is doomed to pursue an endless lust for knowledge.

[Atomic]

Our crowning achievement should be not killing each other.

Mars is a waste of time and effort and money. We should focus on being better stewards of earth rather than defiling the universe.

But I understand mankind is doomed to pursue an endless lust for knowledge.

The difference is that going to Mars may actually be achievable. Your fairy tale is not.

[basslicker]

Our crowning achievement should be not killing each other.

Mars is a waste of time and effort and money. We should focus on being better stewards of earth rather than defiling the universe.

But I understand mankind is doomed to pursue an endless lust for knowledge.

The difference is that going to Mars may actually be achievable. Your fairy tale is not.

So we just stop trying? Apathy is a deadly game.

[Atomic]

No I'm saying that your plan of stopping all progress until we stop killing each other just means stopping all progress because we'll never stop killing each other.

The "we shouldn't do X until we have world peace, end starvation, etc etc" viewpoint is just silly, IMO.

[iso_55]

Our crowning achievement should be not killing each other.

Mars is a waste of time and effort and money. We should focus on being better stewards of earth rather than defiling the universe.

But I understand mankind is doomed to pursue an endless lust for knowledge.

We should just stop learning??? I don't understand that POV.

[basslicker]

No I'm saying that your plan of stopping all progress until we stop killing each other just means stopping all progress because we'll never stop killing each other.

The "we shouldn't do X until we have world peace, end starvation, etc etc" viewpoint is just silly, IMO.

I'm not saying stop progress. I just don't see how water on Mars will help us here.

It's not a viable living option and discovering water there doesn't actually do anything for us. Other than ego.

Life on other planets? Probably is, but isn't helpful on this rock.

[basslicker]

Our crowning achievement should be not killing each other.

Mars is a waste of time and effort and money. We should focus on being better stewards of earth rather than defiling the universe.

But I understand mankind is doomed to pursue an endless lust for knowledge.

We should just stop learning??? I don't understand that POV.

Learning is nice, but have we really gotten anywhere with our expanded knowledge? New tech, same old evil.

[Atomic]

Our crowning achievement should be not killing each other.

Mars is a waste of time and effort and money. We should focus on being better stewards of earth rather than defiling the universe.

But I understand mankind is doomed to pursue an endless lust for knowledge.

We should just stop learning??? I don't understand that POV.

Learning is nice, but have we really gotten anywhere with our expanded knowledge? New tech, same old evil.

I like indoor plumbing and electricity. I consider these to be good things.

[Fraser]

Im pretty happy that I didn't get polio as a kid. Big ups to whoever figured out that deal

[Rich]

 

 

Our crowning achievement should be not killing each other.

Mars is a waste of time and effort and money. We should focus on being better stewards of earth rather than defiling the universe.

But I understand mankind is doomed to pursue an endless lust for knowledge.

We should just stop learning??? I don't understand that POV.

Learning is nice, but have we really gotten anywhere with our expanded knowledge? New tech, same old evil.

 

 

I think there is a huge difference between knowledge and experience.  

 

We have had many advancements with knowledge in terms of technology and medicine.

 

Unfortunately as far as war and the environment go, until you experience the tumultuous times that a natural (or human) disaster or war inflict on the general populace, there is no way that reading about it in a book as knowledge can give you the same perspective as living through it to want to avoid it.

 

I believe this is why you see upswings and downswings in human culture over many years and generations.  It seems it is the human condition to have to experience pain and suffering to truly appreciate to live without those things.

 

The human race has been around a long time.  But every generation is new and has a lot of lessons it needs to relearn.  History has shown us that over time all great civilizations decay until things get so bad that it affects change and a new upswing starts.  Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter.   Cycle of life and all that stuff.

[Atomic]

Im pretty happy that I didn't get polio as a kid. Big ups to whoever figured out that deal

 

That's a pretty ignorant point of view.  How do you know you wouldn't have liked it if you've never had it?  Check your privilege bro.

[The Unknown Poster]

Actually it's thirst for knowledge that results on leaps of technology and advancement for the species.

That's what people who are against NASA spending don't understand. It's not just going to a dead rock, looking around and coming back and oh well. The amount of leaps humanity takes as a result of research and development into something we can't already do is immense.

The quest for something bigger than ourselves might be the thing that ultimately brings us together.

[FrostyWinnipeg]

http://www.businessinsider.com.au/theres-growing-speculation-nasa-is-about-to-announce-it-discovered-flowing-water-on-mars-2015-9

[The Unknown Poster]

(CNN)[breaking news update at 11:40 a.m.]

 

NASA scientists said Monday they believe they have confirmed that water intermittently flows on the surface of Mars, a discovery that may have ramifications in the search for past or present life on the planet.

[The Unknown Poster]

New York Times:

 

Scientists reported on Monday definitive signs of liquid water on the surface of present-day Mars, a finding that will fuel speculation that life, if it ever arose there, could persist to now.

 

In a paper published in the journal Nature Geoscience, scientists identified waterlogged molecules — salts of a type known as perchlorates — on the surface in readings from orbit.

 

“That’s a direct detection of water in the form of hydration of salts,” said Alfred S. McEwen, a professor of planetary geology at the University of Arizona, the principal investigator of images from a high-resolution camera on NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and one of the authors of the new paper. “There pretty much has to have been liquid water recently present to produce the hydrated salt.”

 

By “recently,” Dr. McEwen said he meant “days, something of that order.”

 

In 2011, Dr. McEwen and colleagues discovered in photographs from the orbiter dark streaks descending along slopes of craters, canyons and mountains. The streaks lengthened during summer, faded as temperatures cooled, then reappeared the next year.

 

They named the streaks recurrent slope linae, or R.S.L.s, and many thousands of them have now been spotted. “It’s really surprisingly extensive,” Dr. McEwen said.

 

“It’s very definitive there is some sort of liquid water,” Mr. Ojha said.

 

The perchlorate salts lower the freezing temperature, and the water remains liquid. The average temperature of Mars is about minus 70 degrees Fahrenheit, but summer days near the Equator can reach an almost balmy 70.

 

Christopher P. McKay, an astrobiologist at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Mountain View, Calif., does not think the R.S.L.s are a very promising place to look. For the water to be liquid, it must be so salty that nothing could live there, he said. “The short answer for habitability is it means nothing,” he said.

 

He pointed to Don Juan Pond in Antarctica, which remains liquid year round in subzero temperatures because of high concentrations of calcium chloride salt. “You fly over it, and it looks like a beautiful swimming pool,” Dr. McKay said. “But the water has got nothing.”

 

“If it was too salty, they would be flowing year round,” Dr. Stillman said. “We might be in that Goldilocks zone.”

 

R.S.L.s are treated as special regions that NASA’s current robotic explorers are barred from because the rovers were not thoroughly sterilized, and NASA worries that they might be carrying microbial hitchhikers from Earth that could contaminate Mars.

 

In selecting the landing site for the 2020 rover, the space agency is ruling out places that might be habitable, including those with R.S.L.s.

[The Unknown Poster]

Hey we found flowing friggen water on Mars and the best chance of LIFE...lets NOT go there because we're too cheap to properly sterilize our equipment.

 

What could be more important to humanity as a species than this?

[Atomic]

Hold on they did not find water. They found evidence that indicates strongly that there is water.

[The Unknown Poster]

Hold on they did not find water. They found evidence that indicates strongly that there is water.

True.  But according to them, its pretty clear.  No one has yet walked over and scooped up a handful of wet sand.  But splitting hairs.  Thats why we *need* to do just that.

[Atomic]

Hold on they did not find water. They found evidence that indicates strongly that there is water.

True. But according to them, its pretty clear. No one has yet walked over and scooped up a handful of wet sand. But splitting hairs. Thats why we *need* to do just that.

I don't call it splitting hairs. Either they found water or they didn't. They didn't. It is exciting but there are still unanswered questions here. I will reserve my total excitement until they have actual liquid water.

[The Unknown Poster]

So you're saying we should not explore the evidence of water until we have actually felt the water in our hands?  I know thats not what you're saying, Im being facetious.

 

But this is how these guys make a living, using science and whatever else to come to conclusions about things they cant touch.  They believe it to be water.  Now we must go find out. 

 

I remember when that meteorite was found years ago that contained a fossil of a microbe from Mars and it was MAJOR news.  There were breaking news cut ins to live TV.  President Clinton did a press conference. 

 

This should immediately result in the government altering their 2020 Mars plan and sending a fully sterilized rover to the best spot to scoop up and "touch" water and test for life.  In a perfect world, they'd make it a return mission and have samples sent back to Earth.  No more *****-footing around.