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Mars rover finds "puddles" on the planet's surface »

Posted by: capn_caveman 2 years, 6 months ago

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A new analysis of pictures taken by the exploration rover Opportunity reveals what appear to be small ponds of liquid water on the surface of Mars.

Read Full Story at space.newscientist.com »

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Comments: 33

Avg rating: (+2/-1 1)
pawfoots
June 8, 2007, 3 p.m.
Now that is an interesting find.
Avg rating: (+4/-0 4)
Wil
June 8, 2007, 3:54 p.m.
WOW! Cool!
Avg rating: (+5/-1 4)
NelsonR
June 8, 2007, 9:19 p.m.
Its water. Look at the channels and depression where the blue exist. Now take into account the shallow areas that you can visible see the gravel within. Send the rover back.
Avg rating: (+0/-0 0)
jonmaverick
June 8, 2007, 9:39 p.m.
Seems to me you shouldn't send any survey vessel to any other planet, without some means to test for water. Duh.
"Let's use the rover's drill on the surface of the flat area. If it is ice, or any solid material, the drill will leave unmistakable markings, but if it is liquid there should be no trace of the drill's activity." Duh, again. If it's a dense gas, the test will provide a false positive.
Where's a damn stick when you need one?
Avg rating: (+1/-0 1)
MntnWllm
June 8, 2007, 10:54 p.m.
This could be a VERY big wow find?
An entirely new ??life-in-the-universe?? paradigm.
Avg rating: (+1/-0 1)
quemara
June 8, 2007, 11:43 p.m.
This is tooo cool!! I am glad there is some good news today!!
Thanks Capn!!
Avg rating: (+8/-3 5)
capn_caveman
June 9, 2007, 12:23 a.m.
Hmmm... after doing some research into this article (my own submission), I now have some reservations about it.
I have a suspicion of conflict of interest. The lead author (Ron Levin) of this report is the son of a scientist (Gilbert Levin) who made the controversial claim that NASA found life on Mars in the Viking missions. I have to wonder if this claim of liquid water on the surface of Mars could possibly have been constructed in order to lend support of the life on Mars claim made by his father.
Gilbert Levin is a scientist who has convinced himself that his experiment detected life on Mars.
http://www.firstscience.com/home/articles/myste...
Now, what better indirect evidence do you need to support you claim for life on Mars? Well, that would be liquid water on Mars! That would be where the son enters the picture.
I don't see a lot of evidence to support this claim besides a photo.
Avg rating: (+0/-0 0)
Teech
June 9, 2007, 12:31 a.m.
Are they sure it isn't a coolant leak from the rover?
Or one of those Martians that are always dancing around just off camera took a leak and forgot to cover it up!
Avg rating: (+13/-0 13)
hoppy
June 9, 2007, 12:51 a.m.
Puddles? Must be Global Mars Warming..
Avg rating: (+0/-0 0)
ABANOCLA
June 9, 2007, 1:22 a.m.
a neg, must be a Gorebot lol
Avg rating: (+0/-4 -4)
droid3913
June 9, 2007, 7:14 a.m.
Talk about American Engineering! Those rovers are still going and going! I personally believe Mars was once an Earth like planet. I think it's time for a man mission to Mars. Please don't say we don't have the technology to go. It's all about money and politics.
Avg rating: (+0/-0 0)
Archten
June 9, 2007, 8:51 a.m.
Chances of the photo being a hoax or illusion are better than the probability of liquid water in Mars' atmosphere.
Avg rating: (+1/-0 1)
ChrisHR
June 9, 2007, 10:54 a.m.
Life must be out there somewhere - the universe is to big for there not to be!
But is it on mars?
http://www.bigtravelweb.com
Avg rating: (+10/-0 10)
quackpot
June 9, 2007, 11:31 a.m.
Plus, there is a clear image of Nessie, the Loch Ness monster, in the lower left!!!!!!
Just a wee bit more image processing and you'll have it laddie. Warm up the photoshop!
Avg rating: (+0/-3 -3)
agmarti
June 9, 2007, 11:37 a.m.
The images in the NewScientist article are from an area callled Burn's Cliff. You can see it here http://marswatch.astro.cornell.edu/pancam_instr...
( a bit left of center )
Must have strange water on Mars if it can form puddles on a 30 degree slope.
Avg rating: (+21/-6 15)
aceofspades1
June 9, 2007, 12:14 p.m.
What does Rover usually do when you take him for a walk. After a long trip like that I'm sure Rover left the puddles by itself - next thing you know they will be finding fire hydrants on Mars
Avg rating: (+5/-0 5)
swasdiva
June 9, 2007, 1:09 p.m.
Sweet baby Jesus! That's baaaaadass.
At least the article is on a reputable site and isn't situated next to the "Ancient Egyptian Alien's Face on Mars" claim. I want to keep my excitement about this possibility. I mean, stranger things have happened, so it deserves further study.
Question: what do they mean by briny water? Makes me think of Davy Jones' Lockarrrr! Avast! Ahh...just looked it up online. Salty, huh? Interesting.
Avg rating: (+2/-2 0)
agentX
June 9, 2007, 7:34 p.m.
If there is water there, then we've got something to work with. Time to start up the terraforming projects.
Avg rating: (+18/-4 14)
agmarti
June 11, 2007, 6:20 p.m.
The Planetary Society's Emily Lakdawalla examines the 'Puddles on Mars' claim.
http://www.planetary.org/blog/article/00000998/
Avg rating: (+0/-0 0)
hyypiaza
May 28, 2008, 10:57 p.m.
All future procreation aside, I thought along the same lines when I read this article. Ah, more water to pollute and exploit! Who else but big business and government dustbins would have the means to further any development? Still.I have a suspicion of conflict of interest. The lead author (Ron Levin) of this report is the son of a scientist (Gilbert Levin) who made the controversial claim that NASA found life on Mars in the Viking missions.h...">http://hotshoppinglive.com">missions.h...