Tags: discovery, life on mars, mars, phoenix mission, red planet, Science
The Mars Lander’s mission on the fourth planet from the Sun is a dream come true for many scientists who have been trying for decades to prove that there is indeed water on Mars, and that where there’s water, there could be life.
NASA’s Phoenix lander recently discovered chunks of bright materials near the surface of the planet, which at a first glance appeared to be ice. Mission investigators were convinced: could it be anything else?
At the time, the answer would have been yes, as some feared those could have been in fact salt deposits. However, their complete disappearance in just days after they had been uncovered made it clear: it was water ice, as scientists confirmed last week.
Read the full article here.
June 24th, 2008 at 5:52 pm
“It’s Life Jim, but not as we know it…” Okay I couldn’t resist writing that, but not that it is out of my system, I must say it doesn’t matter if there is life there. What matters is the water ice. The sustainability of water ice makes the the notion of future colonization that much easier of a decision. I am not talking about doing it in the relatively near future. We are probably a century away at least, but the fact remains that unless we quit breeding like bunnies, we will either be forced to move off this planet, or we will be global wars fighting for control of diminishing resources. Water on a nearby planet, even frozen water, means their is hope for those don’t want to fight those wars.