Follow the Water
Email For several tantalizing months last year, NASA’s Phoenix Mars spacecraft sent back images from the Martian Arctic of what scientists were pretty sure was ice. Water — the stuff of life — frozen in the red soil. Now, a team of scientists, led by Nilton Renno of the University of Michigan, is making a new splash, if you’ll pardon the pun. They have presented a paper saying they think Phoenix saw liquid water — splashed onto part of its landing gear. If they’re right, it’s a big deal. Or maybe not. Their paper is HERE, and their wording is pretty bold. "We show independent physical and thermodynamical evidence that besides ice, liquid-saline water exists in areas disturbed by the Phoenix lander," they write. A few lines later, "we hypothesize that liquid saline-water is common on Mars. This finding has important implications for the stability of liquid water, weathering, mineralogy, geochemistry, and the habitability of Mars." Their theory is that the Martian soil around the Phoenix landing site was rich in perchlorate salts, which act as antifreeze when mixed with water in the thin atmosphere. The result, they say, is what you see in the following three images: These pictures were taken 8, 31 and 44 Martian days after the landing last May. Look at the two highlighted spheroids, and how they appear slowly to merge, a little like droplets on your windshield on a soggy day. Keep in mind that this was a paper presented at a conference specifically to provoke scientific debate, not a peer-reviewed published paper meant to report a finding. So the debate is on, and other scientists have their doubts. "It’s just water vapor moving around," said Michael Hecht, a Phoenix co-investigator at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab. "I completely agree with Nilton that the topic deserves attention," he said to me on the phone. "I only disagree with him — strongly — on whether there was liquid water on the landing struts. It distracts from some of the more important questions." Hecht said, "It may just be plain old ice." Ice is very common in the universe — think of comets, or the moons of Jupiter. Water in gaseous form is too. But liquid water is critical to life as we know it, and so far it seems very rare. "I suppose sending another ship to get more answers would be nice?" I asked with a laugh. Hecht answered in the same spirit. "If you know any NASA higher-ups, please let me know."
(Photo credits: NASA/JPL)
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Who cares! For Heaven’s sake can we stop wasting billions of dollars in space. There was never life on Mars yet we have sent billions of dollars there only to leave it as space junk, what a waste!
Posted by: GLA | March 11, 2009, 4:35 pm 4:35 pm
yea, and there’s no atlantis so let’s stop mapping the ocean floor!
You think they would’ve figured this out when Neil Armstrong landed on the moon only to find out that it was made of rocks and not a new source of rare and highly profitable cheese.
Posted by: Sarcastro! | March 11, 2009, 4:44 pm 4:44 pm
Yeah, you stupid scientists are spending billions of dollars to find stupid puddles in space while here on Earth, we’re going through the worst environmental crisis the planet has ever seen! Spend the money on that instead, you dopes!
Posted by: Mister X | March 11, 2009, 4:44 pm 4:44 pm
GLA | Mar 11, 2009 4:35:31 PM – Ditto! Stop wasting money for space researches and use this money for something better! …Like starting new wars!
Posted by: Zombie Republican | March 11, 2009, 4:45 pm 4:45 pm
Please, scientists and researchers, don’t be swayed by the ignorance and short-sightedness of selfish Americans thinking only of their immediate problems.
Keep exploring and researching, because we’re going to need a new home after we’ve shamefully exhausted the resources that we started with here on Earth. And it’s not like we aren’t keenly aware of the irreversible damage we’re doing to our home, either.
Posted by: Pablito | March 11, 2009, 4:58 pm 4:58 pm
If you guys studied a bit harder in school, you could be doing cool stuff like this instead of complaining. If we don’t do these types of things we might as well not be here. What is the point? I think that is what these types of explorers aim to find out.
Posted by: Huh | March 11, 2009, 5:05 pm 5:05 pm
I have an idea. Lets start taxing the church. That would pay for space exploration and a few wars. Everyone is happy problems solved.
Posted by: tom | March 11, 2009, 5:34 pm 5:34 pm
Here’s an idea: let NASA offer a grant of a billion dollars to prove the existence of God! At least there is a definite objective, not just wasteful exploration with little to show for it.
Posted by: Gerald | March 11, 2009, 5:35 pm 5:35 pm
Space exploration is needed. If we stop exploring then we cheat ourselves of much valuable information. Yes it costs Billions but at the same time instead of decrying the cost, why dont you all decry the waste of billions our Goverment gives to big business like GM and the Banks. And taxing the Churches is a great idea also stop rewarding companies like GM with TARP and loans when they send 40 percent of there work overseas.
Posted by: donsemora | March 11, 2009, 5:51 pm 5:51 pm
Yes, let’s all just continue to rely on religion to explain the universe and our place in it. I’m scared of what space exploration may find. I just can’t stand to think of the possiblity that all these years of going to church and being a good Christian were all for naught, so please stop exploring the universe so we can remain blissfully ignorant. I fear our religious leaders will no longer be able to tell people what they must do and who they must vote for. Certainly, it will make it more difficult to limit people’s liberties in the name of morality. More people might start to think and figure things out for themselves. Fearmongering would be more difficult to apply. It would be just awful.
Posted by: libertyrulz | March 11, 2009, 5:58 pm 5:58 pm
Tax the church … say it ain’t so … how in heaven’s name would they then be able to afford to relocate all their priests. So please, just redirect the money spent on science and research and space exploration to the hunt for Bin Laden.
Posted by: cyclopath | March 11, 2009, 6:16 pm 6:16 pm
We shouldn’t stop scientific progress during a recession. We should increase it. Progress is the thing that pulls us out of hard times. Invention and discovery are the things that will revitalize the economy, not kill it. Like my good buddy Buzz Lightyear says- to infinity and beyond!
Posted by: hey Scoob | March 11, 2009, 6:25 pm 6:25 pm
Yeah, stop all science, don’t investigate the unknowns, they in the dark ages were right, we don’t need anything but food, water and superstition.
Hey Gerald, I have a much better use for a billion dollars, prove that God NEVER existed, think how much better off the world would be. Besides, it doesn’t cost anything to prove a myth is a myth, here’s a dollar, go call another thumper and commiserate.
Posted by: JR | March 11, 2009, 6:53 pm 6:53 pm
You know, all this time I have watched space flights I have never once noticed money floating from the payload bay of the Space Shuttle or floating out of the airlock of the Space Station. The radical idea behind it is that the money is spent ON THE GROUND, not being “wasted in space” as some foolish, unread folks may have us read. The technicians, engineers, inspectors and scientists seem to strangely enough, spend it on food, cars, homes, taxes, utilities, roads, wow!, what a concept. The FACT is that for every individual working on a space science project, such as Space Shuttle, 3 jobs to support that exist in the surrounding community. The other FACT is that for every dollar the government spends for space science, approximately 6-8 dollars are generated in corporate profit which then leads to more jobs, etc..
NASA receives about 0.8% of the national budget. Not so much when you see what they do with it.
ANYONE that can type a senseless message on a website may go to nasa.gov and learn the truth about all of NASA’s programs. So the next time, anyone wants to spew nonsense of “wasting dollars in space” they are merely exhibiting a totally unread opinion about something which they know nothing about.
Posted by: KSCQC2 | March 11, 2009, 7:04 pm 7:04 pm
We cease to be sentient beings when we stop trying to discover the unknown and sit on our butts and watch TV all day, or twitter each other, or watch NASCAR. Exploration costs money. Everything costs money. To exclude one just because someone thinks it’s a waste…is wrong in itself. I believe that medical care shouldn’t be given to smokers who made the choice to kill themselves. But you don’t see me whining about how many billions are flushed down the toilet each year because ignorant people choose to do ignorant things. Fighting wars also falls in this category. In fact, I’d prefer my tax dollars go to peaceful scientific endeavors instead of war or caring for stupid individuals who engage in activities they know will kill them.
Posted by: Jon | March 11, 2009, 7:12 pm 7:12 pm
Scotty, why haven’t you beamed me out yet?
Posted by: Lester H | March 11, 2009, 7:48 pm 7:48 pm
They are spending billions exploring other planets probably money that could fix some of our problems on earth but mankind will probably benefit from these explorations in the future. With all of the problems that we have on earth now such as the diminished atmosphere, religious hatred, racial hatred, poverty, droughts, illicit drugs, Threats of nuclear annilation, etc,ect. Earth is rapidly becoming uninhabitable. Soon, We may all have a need to flee this earth and fine a place that is more habitable.
Posted by: johnnylee | March 11, 2009, 8:13 pm 8:13 pm
I swear that most scientists are either plain DUMB, or plain BLIND. They all know that the AVERAGE DAYTIME SUMMER TEMPERATURE ON MARS IS NEARLY 70 DEGREES F. Hello?! Of course there’s liquid water on mars.
“The temperature on Mars may reach a high of about 70 degrees Fahrenheit (20 degrees Celsius) at noon, at the equator in the summer, or a low of about -225 degrees Fahrenheit (-153 degrees Celsius) at the poles.”
Posted by: Eric | March 11, 2009, 8:59 pm 8:59 pm
Space exploration is about as useful as nuclear weapons. If there is advanced beings out there, they can find us, alright? We’ve got enough problems on Earth with the planet dying. Solve that first then worry about other life on other planets. The life on THIS planet is dying! So stop wasting with all this claims to be expanding knowledge. It’s a excuse for waste.
Posted by: FauxFoxx | March 11, 2009, 9:00 pm 9:00 pm
Wouldn’t you want to live on mars or something? besides, how are we going to stop racism with a couple million bucks? And we arn’t going to find life out there if we don’t look.
Posted by: Person | March 11, 2009, 9:59 pm 9:59 pm
Dehydrated water maybe?
Posted by: dobermanspencer | March 12, 2009, 7:14 am 7:14 am
cool
Posted by: joe | March 12, 2009, 3:51 pm 3:51 pm
Dehydrated water…interesting thought.
Posted by: Person | March 12, 2009, 7:01 pm 7:01 pm
If everyone felt, as some of the postings indicate, our species would never have left the cave, never climbed Mt Everest, never swam in the ocean, never done anything. It is about man’s curiosity. NASA’s budget cannot solve poverty, but it is helping to identify the causes of Global Warming. Unfortunately a vital tool was lost last week when a CO2 detecting satalite failed to achieve orbit. Space science, like all science, is not about profit, not everything that is good is
profitable. But the facts are clear that technology derived from scientific endevors do produce products that can generate profits…
Posted by: Blackie | March 16, 2009, 4:04 pm 4:04 pm
Can I leave now?
Posted by: Christina Viering | April 4, 2009, 8:30 pm 8:30 pm