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Upcoming NASA anouncement regarding life on Mars

Something found, more "provocative" than water

Sinderbox

02.Aug.2008 16:08 hrs

The White House has been alerted by NASA about plans to make an announcement soon on major new Phoenix lander discoveries concerning the “potential for life�? on Mars, scientists tell Aviation Week & Space Technology. 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."

Phoenix does not have the instruments to test for life, but it has been tasting the water it found for a while already, and the results have been kept secret.

Why the secret? Why briefing this time the president before the announcement. If finding water on mars was considered one of the most outstanding space discoveries ever. What can be more provocative than that if not life?

http://spacefellowship.com/News/?p=6235

http://space.newscientist.com/article/dn14...10_head_dn14442

interplanetjanet

02.Aug.2008 16:32 hrs

Maybe they found urine in the water.

In all seriousness though, maybe they found organic molecules? That would be exciting. I can't even speculate as I haven't been following the Mars missions lately.

Genie

02.Aug.2008 18:51 hrs

Maybe they found that the ice is actually frozen Pschorr.

Editor Bob

03.Aug.2008 19:53 hrs

This story was bogus Internet hype.

See the Wired article: Rumours abound about "potential for life on Mars"

Late last night Veronica McGregor, a NASA employee, responded to the story with, "recent news reports implying I may have found Martian life are incorrect. Reports claiming there was a White House briefing are also untrue and incorrect."

Although it's a shame, it's not surprising. The claims didn't make any sense. If the story was that life (past or present) had not been found, then what could possibly be the "provocative discovery" and why would the White House be informed before anyone else?

Allershausen

03.Aug.2008 20:04 hrs

Maybe the ice was found in a whisky glass with George Bush's finger prints on it!

ian

03.Aug.2008 20:20 hrs

This story was bogus Internet hype.

Oh no! This is going to get the conspiracy theorists out of their bedrooms again.
There was a leak about something strange, nay, weird discovered on the surface of Mars. And now they are trying to cover it up as hype. And that the discovery was merely nothing more than debris from an innocent weather balloon blown off course.

interplanetjanet

03.Aug.2008 20:35 hrs

Not surprising at all that it's fake.

ian

03.Aug.2008 21:04 hrs

They didn't find life. They found...death!

Attached image

I hope I'm adding intellectual content to this thread.

Editor Bob

05.Aug.2008 09:40 hrs

But seriously...

a press conference on this subject is scheduled for later today.

Apparently the finding is perchlorate, which would make Mars less habitable, not more.

See the NASA press release: NASA Spacecraft Analyzing Martian Soil Data

timezoner

05.Aug.2008 09:50 hrs

this means they've found oil up there

Bumpy

05.Aug.2008 09:51 hrs

Organic molecules (amino acids) have been discovered in metors before (earth fallen metors).

eurovol

05.Aug.2008 09:52 hrs

Perchlorate, source of rocket fuel and O2! Very interesting...

Mapleleafdude

05.Aug.2008 10:31 hrs

Finding oil would explain the White House briefing so Boy George can tell Big Oil about it and throw tax money into exploiting mars.

Sinderbox

05.Aug.2008 19:03 hrs

Perchlorate is definitely interesting!

Water, O2, and oxidizer, which is not exactly fuel but needed in the reaction. They are dangerous to deal with/carry. But if all these things are there, take some food and some fuel and you are at the threshold of manned Mars missions.

Well, I was not that wrong when I guessed the possibility of life in Mars.

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