| Topic: |
Religions > Atheism |
| User: |
"johac" |
| Date: |
02 Mar 2004 01:05:49 AM |
| Object: |
OT: Big announcement by NASA on Mars coming. |
I hope that by the time that most of you see this, the news will be out.
Finding traces of past or present day water on Mars would be a biggie,
though not necessarily an indication of life.
http://tinyurl.com/3care
---
Mars Rover Opportunity Makes 'Significant' Finding
Mon Mar 1, 7:01 PM ET
By Gina Keating
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Speculation was rife on Monday that space
scientists were on the verge of announcing they had discovered evidence
that Mars was once a wet and warm planet, possibly capable of sustaining
microscopic life forms.
Officials with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration
announced that Mars scientists from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in
Pasadena, California, were flying to Washington for a "significant"
announcement, but shied away from saying what it would be.
"I can't confirm what they are going to say ... just that it's a
significant ... finding," by the rover Opportunity, JPL spokesman Guy
Webster said.
But in recent days, scientists have openly spoken of their excitement
over finding coarse gray hematite at the Opportunity site, and predicted
it would lead to an understanding of how the bedrock the rover is
studying was formed and whether water was involved.
The scientists and engineers working with Opportunity and its twin,
Spirit, have held all their briefings in Pasadena since the robotic
geologists landed on Mars in January.
But major developments in NASA (news - web sites) programs "are
typically announced out of (Washington) headquarters," Webster said.
Scheduled to attend the Tuesday briefing were lead rover scientist Steve
Squyres, geologist John Grotzinger, chief space exploration scientist
Benton Clark, project scientist Joy Crisp, and Jim Garvin, NASA's lead
scientist for Mars and the Moon.
Opportunity landed on Jan. 24 in a small crater on the vast flat
Meridiani Planum near the planet's equator. It has spent most of its 36
martian days, or sols, studying finely layered bedrock in the crater's
wall.
Scientists have been puzzling over whether the layers were formed by
wind, volcanic lava flows or water, and if spherical "blueberries"
discovered in the rocks were water-related.
In a briefing last week, the Opportunity team said data gathered by the
rover's spectrometers and microscopic imager in a flat area of bedrock
nicknamed Charlie Flats suggested the presence of gray hematite, which
on Earth can form in oxygenated water.
Opportunity's spectrometers also have detected a large deposit of
hematite in the surrounding plains.
The science team had planned to compare the spectral signatures of the
martian rocks with Earth samples to confirm that the composition was the
same.
Evidence of rocks or soil that formed in water would help validate
scientists' theories that for the first half of its 4.6 billion-year
existence, Mars had plentiful surface water -- even rain and snow -- and
possibly, life.
Opportunity and Spirit, now in sol 57 on the other side of the planet,
were designed to search for signs of water for at least 90 days, or as
long as their solar-powered batteries last.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=585&ncid=585&e=1&u=/nm/20
040302/sc_nm/space_mars_dc
---
--
John Hachmann aa #1782
"Men become civilized not in their willingness to believe, but in
proportion to their readiness to doubt." - H. L. Mencken
.
|
|
| User: "*nemo*" |
|
| Title: Re: OT: Big announcement by NASA on Mars coming. |
02 Mar 2004 03:36:54 AM |
|
|
In article <jhachm-0010C7.23054901032004@news-60.giganews.com>,
johac <jhachm@ixpresremove.com> wrote:
I hope that by the time that most of you see this, the news will be out.
Finding traces of past or present day water on Mars would be a biggie,
though not necessarily an indication of life.
Imagine the fun we'll have around here when they announce they've dug up
a Martian fossil? {;-)
--
Nemo - EAC Commissioner for Bible Belt Underwater Operations.
Atheist #1331 (the Palindrome of doom!)
BAAWA Knight! - One of those warm Southern Knights, y'all!
Charter member, SMASH!!
http://home.earthlink.net/~jehdjh/Relpg.html
Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus
Quotemeister since March 2002
.
|
|
|
| User: "Gregory Gadow" |
|
| Title: Re: OT: Big announcement by NASA on Mars coming. |
02 Mar 2004 08:23:21 AM |
|
|
*nemo* wrote:
In article <jhachm-0010C7.23054901032004@news-60.giganews.com>,
johac <jhachm@ixpresremove.com> wrote:
I hope that by the time that most of you see this, the news will be out.
Finding traces of past or present day water on Mars would be a biggie,
though not necessarily an indication of life.
Imagine the fun we'll have around here when they announce they've dug up
a Martian fossil? {;-)
Bush is waiting for the discovery of fossil *fuel.* Why else promise billions
to send a manned expedition to Mars?
--
Gregory Gadow
techbear@serv.net
http://www.serv.net/~techbear
"If you make yourself a sheep, the wolves will eat you."
-- Benjamin Franklin
.
|
|
|
| User: "johac" |
|
| Title: Re: OT: Big announcement by NASA on Mars coming. |
03 Mar 2004 12:44:22 AM |
|
|
In article <404498D9.4D32A638@serv.net>,
Gregory Gadow <techbear@serv.net> wrote:
*nemo* wrote:
In article <jhachm-0010C7.23054901032004@news-60.giganews.com>,
johac <jhachm@ixpresremove.com> wrote:
I hope that by the time that most of you see this, the news will be out.
Finding traces of past or present day water on Mars would be a biggie,
though not necessarily an indication of life.
Imagine the fun we'll have around here when they announce they've dug up
a Martian fossil? {;-)
Bush is waiting for the discovery of fossil *fuel.* Why else promise billions
to send a manned expedition to Mars?
--
If they do, we'll have to liberate all of those poor oppressed Mars
critters won't we?
--
John Hachmann aa #1782
"Men become civilized not in their willingness to believe, but in
proportion to their readiness to doubt." - H. L. Mencken
.
|
|
|
|
| User: "stoney" |
|
| Title: Re: OT: Big announcement by NASA on Mars coming. |
03 Mar 2004 09:54:42 PM |
|
|
On Tue, 02 Mar 2004 06:23:21 -0800, Gregory Gadow <techbear@serv.net>,
Message ID: <404498D9.4D32A638@serv.net> wrote in alt.atheism;
*nemo* wrote:
In article <jhachm-0010C7.23054901032004@news-60.giganews.com>,
johac <jhachm@ixpresremove.com> wrote:
I hope that by the time that most of you see this, the news will be out.
Finding traces of past or present day water on Mars would be a biggie,
though not necessarily an indication of life.
Imagine the fun we'll have around here when they announce they've dug up
a Martian fossil? {;-)
Bush is waiting for the discovery of fossil *fuel.* Why else promise billions
to send a manned expedition to Mars?
There will be a portable and self-contained oil drilling/pumping rig on
board.
Stoney
"Designated Rascal and Rapscallion
and
SCAMPERMEISTER!"
When in doubt, SCAMPER about!
When things are fair, SCAMPER everywhere!
When things are rough, can't SCAMPER enough!
/end humour alert
alt.atheism military veteran #11
{so much for the 'no atheists in foxholes' rubbish}
.
|
|
|
|
|
| User: "johac" |
|
| Title: Re: OT: Big announcement by NASA on Mars coming. |
03 Mar 2004 12:42:33 AM |
|
|
In article <nemo0037-F115D8.04365102032004@news04.east.earthlink.net>,
*nemo* <nemo0037@yahoo.dieSPAM.com> wrote:
In article <jhachm-0010C7.23054901032004@news-60.giganews.com>,
johac <jhachm@ixpresremove.com> wrote:
I hope that by the time that most of you see this, the news will be out.
Finding traces of past or present day water on Mars would be a biggie,
though not necessarily an indication of life.
Imagine the fun we'll have around here when they announce they've dug up
a Martian fossil? {;-)
I can see some fundy madly paging through the bible. "Mars. Where does
it say something about Mars? It has to be in here some place!"
I'm sure that someone else will post it but they claim today (Tue.) that
there is evidence for past water on Mars:
http://www.nasa.gov/vision/universe/solarsystem/opportunity_water.html
--
John Hachmann aa #1782
"Men become civilized not in their willingness to believe, but in
proportion to their readiness to doubt." - H. L. Mencken
.
|
|
|
|
| User: "SMChristenson" |
|
| Title: Re: OT: Big announcement by NASA on Mars coming. |
02 Mar 2004 07:49:37 AM |
|
|
On Tue, 02 Mar 2004 09:36:54 +0000, *nemo* wrote:
In article <jhachm-0010C7.23054901032004@news-60.giganews.com>,
johac <jhachm@ixpresremove.com> wrote:
I hope that by the time that most of you see this, the news will be
out. Finding traces of past or present day water on Mars would be a
biggie, though not necessarily an indication of life.
Imagine the fun we'll have around here when they announce they've dug up
a Martian fossil? {;-)
They'll probably just announce that the soil isn't arid and has moist
brine, BUT have you seen the so-called "rotini" photo:
http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/all/1/m/030/1M130859833EFF0454P2959M2M1.JPG
Look at the center and slightly left and up. Sure looks like a fossil
worm-like thing part-way out of its slime trail through sedimentary rock.
Even if it doesn't pan out, it's a _way_-cooler false alarm than the silly
"face on Mars".
.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Related Articles |
|
|
