Liquid water means probability of life, so exciting!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTka51ky9TE
:D

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non-profit org. Play4Life in Zagreb, Croatia, EU

Unfortunately, it looks like the next NASA rover won't be allowed to land near a potentially watery site:

http://marsnext.jpl.nasa.gov/scieng_plantary.cfm

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The mind is a weird and mysterious place

They are putting into practice a part of the "Prime Directive" from Star Trek. Do not risk contaminating a planet or moon where the possibility of native life exists. Now that liquid water on the surface of Mars has been observed it is highly likely that some form of life is present. The only problem is that the cat is already out of the bag. Mars is very windy and if any of our landers had hitchhikers they have most likely contaminated the whole planet.

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Bob DeWoody

My motto: Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow as it may not be required. This no longer applies in light of current events.

Apparently the Science channel is airing coverage of this revelation tonight (Sept. 29th) at 8:00 PM. A program about the moon is scheduled. I saw a banner at the bottom of the screen announcing the change about an hour ago.

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Bob DeWoody

My motto: Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow as it may not be required. This no longer applies in light of current events.

The coverage came at 9:00PM edt. Just a short statement by a NASA scientist of how they came to conclude there is liquid water on the surface during spring and summer at certain locations on Mars

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Bob DeWoody

My motto: Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow as it may not be required. This no longer applies in light of current events.

Unfortunately, it looks like the next NASA rover won't be allowed to land near a potentially watery site:

http://marsnext.jpl.nasa.gov/scieng_plantary.cfm

PROBABLY WOULD RUST in a second...so lets not go there! ;)

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non-profit org. Play4Life in Zagreb, Croatia, EU

Can't believe it would take 6-7 months to Mars.
Return to earth 2 years?? Crazy.

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They are putting into practice a part of the "Prime Directive" from Star Trek. Do not risk contaminating a planet or moon where the possibility of native life exists. Now that liquid water on the surface of Mars has been observed it is highly likely that some form of life is present. The only problem is that the cat is already out of the bag. Mars is very windy and if any of our landers had hitchhikers they have most likely contaminated the whole planet.

The presence of water only means it's possible, not likely. Microbial life may have developed in shallow seas, seeped down into aquifers and then mutated to adjust for the rising salinity - or not. It could still be a sterile planet.
It would take an extremophile of some kind to survive on anything that's been sent so far and the odds of that pretty nil. I think Mars is safe as long as we keep our feet off it.

They are putting into practice a part of the "Prime Directive" from Star Trek. Do not risk contaminating a planet or moon where the possibility of native life exists. Now that liquid water on the surface of Mars has been observed it is highly likely that some form of life is present. The only problem is that the cat is already out of the bag. Mars is very windy and if any of our landers had hitchhikers they have most likely contaminated the whole planet.

The presence of water only means it's possible, not likely. Microbial life may have developed in shallow seas, seeped down into aquifers and then mutated to adjust for the rising salinity - or not. It could still be a sterile planet.
It would take an extremophile of some kind to survive on anything that's been sent so far and the odds of that pretty nil. I think Mars is safe as long as we keep our feet off it.

I agree...'cause we have some kind of similar salty habitat here on Earth:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_Sea#Fauna_and_flora

So not expecting much from that water on Mars!
;)

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non-profit org. Play4Life in Zagreb, Croatia, EU

They are putting into practice a part of the "Prime Directive" from Star Trek. Do not risk contaminating a planet or moon where the possibility of native life exists. Now that liquid water on the surface of Mars has been observed it is highly likely that some form of life is present. The only problem is that the cat is already out of the bag. Mars is very windy and if any of our landers had hitchhikers they have most likely contaminated the whole planet.

The presence of water only means it's possible, not likely. Microbial life may have developed in shallow seas, seeped down into aquifers and then mutated to adjust for the rising salinity - or not. It could still be a sterile planet.
It would take an extremophile of some kind to survive on anything that's been sent so far and the odds of that pretty nil. I think Mars is safe as long as we keep our feet off it.

Well I have a strong feeling you are dead wrong. I don't hold forth any expectation that anything bigger than microbes will be found but with all of the other evidence such as traces of methane found during the summer seasons I really believe some form of microbial life will be found soon and then we will finally know for sure that earth is not unique regarding life.

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Bob DeWoody

My motto: Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow as it may not be required. This no longer applies in light of current events.

They are putting into practice a part of the "Prime Directive" from Star Trek. Do not risk contaminating a planet or moon where the possibility of native life exists. Now that liquid water on the surface of Mars has been observed it is highly likely that some form of life is present.

But how can we verify whether it's there or not without landing?

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The mind is a weird and mysterious place

Given good enough spectroscopy, it should be possible to detect an excess of the isotope carbon 12 over carbon 13 in the methane in the atmosphere of Mars. Since living things favor the lighter isotope in their metabolism, this is a good indicator of life.

Well I have a strong feeling you are dead wrong. I don't hold forth any expectation that anything bigger than microbes will be found but with all of the other evidence such as traces of methane found during the summer seasons I really believe some form of microbial life will be found soon and then we will finally know for sure that earth is not unique regarding life.

Nothing would make me happier than being wrong on this. Given the short amount of time there was open water on the surface of Mars, if life developed there it would change the equation in a big way, but - I've been in research projects that lasted years where all the circumstantial evidence said yes and the verdict was still no. I've learned to be skeptical, and especially about things that I really want to be true.

Well I have a strong feeling you are dead wrong. I don't hold forth any expectation that anything bigger than microbes will be found but with all of the other evidence such as traces of methane found during the summer seasons I really believe some form of microbial life will be found soon and then we will finally know for sure that earth is not unique regarding life.

Nothing would make me happier than being wrong on this. Given the short amount of time there was open water on the surface of Mars, if life developed there it would change the equation in a big way, but - I've been in research projects that lasted years where all the circumstantial evidence said yes and the verdict was still no. I've learned to be skeptical, and especially about things that I really want to be true.

+1

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non-profit org. Play4Life in Zagreb, Croatia, EU