Re: Mars stuff coming out soon.
- From: Greg Crinklaw <theskyhoundyoureye@xxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sun, 03 Aug 2008 23:07:36 -0600
Sam Wormley wrote:
Mark F. wrote:It would appear that the US President has been briefed by Phoenix
scientists about the discovery of something more "provocative" than
the discovery of water existing on the Martian surface. This news
comes just as the Thermal and Evolved Gas Analyzer (TEGA) confirmed
experimental evidence for the existence of water in the Mars regolith
on Thursday. Whilst NASA scientists are not claiming that life once
existed on the Red Planet's surface, new data appears to indicate the
"potential for life" more conclusively than the TEGA water results.
Apparently these new results are being kept under wraps until further,
more detailed analysis can be carried out, but we are assured that
this announcement will be huge.
http://www.universetoday.com/2008/08/02/the-white-house-is-briefed-phoenix-about-to-announce-potential-for-life-on-mars/
A lesson learned from the movie, "Contact" ?
More like a lesson learned from ALH84001. There was some embarrassment for NASA internally at the time, although it isn't clear why the President would care. If you lined up the joke possibilities of this story end to end they would reach all the way to Mars. ;-)
http://www.marsnews.com/focus/life/
Also, I read today that someone on the science team denied the White House rumor. My guess is that since TEGA measures isotopes of the usual life suspects (Carbon, Nitrogen, etc.) that the news is what they had hoped for all along: the Martian soil contains the building blocks of life. Not the sort of stuff to get the public excited, but it is an important result, and one that justifiably would allow them to claim mission success in terms of science goals. It also has implications for the human exploration of Mars.
--
Greg Crinklaw
Astronomical Software Developer
Cloudcroft, New Mexico, USA (33N, 106W, 2700m)
SkyTools: http://www.skyhound.com/cs.html
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To reply take out your eye
.
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