Discussion
Hadn't seen any discussion about this - potentially game changing if confirmed?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-449...
edit: sorry - there is a post about it in the Mars Rover discussion. Possibly warrants it's own thread though?
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-449...
edit: sorry - there is a post about it in the Mars Rover discussion. Possibly warrants it's own thread though?
I think we'll have humans on Mars some time before that happens.
As the water is under ice, it might be relatively easy for an automated probe to drill through the ice to get to the aquifer - if there is one.
They will need to be careful though to try and prevent contamination as there is the possibility that there could be Martian life forms living in the lake.
As the water is under ice, it might be relatively easy for an automated probe to drill through the ice to get to the aquifer - if there is one.
They will need to be careful though to try and prevent contamination as there is the possibility that there could be Martian life forms living in the lake.
Blackpuddin said:
How fabulous it would be to find life forms there. If they were the same as the ones we have here, that would be awesome enough. But if they were literally alien to us, that would confirm the limitless potential of the universe.
" Well there were but HEY, you know Hank likes his coffee..."Simpo Two said:
Well, what you need to do is send a man there with a drill to find out for sure.
Otherwise we'll have nothing more than 'possibly probably OMG oh actually maybe not' reports until the Earth is swallowed by the sun.
Indeed - but given mars in much closer than the other potential 'life bearing' candidates (like Titan, Europa and Enceladus) - we are likely to be able to explore this much earlier and much more thoroughly.Otherwise we'll have nothing more than 'possibly probably OMG oh actually maybe not' reports until the Earth is swallowed by the sun.
Moonhawk said:
Indeed - but given mars in much closer than the other potential 'life bearing' candidates (like Titan, Europa and Enceladus) - we are likely to be able to explore this much earlier and much more thoroughly.
All it takes is determination and money, neither of which have been around in sufficient amounts since 1972. We got from nowhere to the Moon in 10 years; that probably took more new technology than adding on the extra mileage to Mars. Shoulda been there in the 1980s!S100HP said:
Eric Mc said:
As the water is under ice, it might be relatively easy for an automated probe to drill through the ice to get to the aquifer - if there is one.
I read yesterday that there currently isn't anything able to drill down that far?Einion Yrth said:
CoolHands said:
Am I right in thinking there has been no actual PROOF of water on any other planet yet?
No, you aren't; unless your definition of proof involves, of necessity, going there and making a cup of tea with it.
Water, water everywhere seems to be the current view. Far more places with it than was ever though previously.
I think the current theory is also that the water in our solar system pre dates the solar system itself.
CoolHands said:
Am I right in thinking there has been no actual PROOF of water on any other planet yet?
No, you are wrong.Many, many moons and planets (and comets and asteroids) contain water. Most of it is in frozen form, of course.
The moon Enceladus jets water geysers high into the sky. The space probe Cassini flew through these plumes and sampled them directly a number of times. Europa also jets out water vapour. The ice caps of Mars are mostly water. There is water at the moon's south pole.
Given the amount of material that Earth and Mars exchange if any life is detected it's likely to be related to life on Earth (or us to them if you see what I mean).
I'm not sure what I'd be most excited about, the prospect of life being so ubiquitous that it has arisen spontaneously on two planets in a single star system or the more likely scenario that rafts of life could traverse the hard vacuum of space and we're all really martians.
I'm not sure what I'd be most excited about, the prospect of life being so ubiquitous that it has arisen spontaneously on two planets in a single star system or the more likely scenario that rafts of life could traverse the hard vacuum of space and we're all really martians.
RTB said:
Given the amount of material that Earth and Mars exchange if any life is detected it's likely to be related to life on Earth (or us to them if you see what I mean).
I'm not sure what I'd be most excited about, the prospect of life being so ubiquitous that it has arisen spontaneously on two planets in a single star system or the more likely scenario that rafts of life could traverse the hard vacuum of space and we're all really martians.
Supposedly life may have got going much earlier on Mars as it cooled quicker being smaller. I'm not sure what I'd be most excited about, the prospect of life being so ubiquitous that it has arisen spontaneously on two planets in a single star system or the more likely scenario that rafts of life could traverse the hard vacuum of space and we're all really martians.
Timmy45 said:
RTB said:
Given the amount of material that Earth and Mars exchange if any life is detected it's likely to be related to life on Earth (or us to them if you see what I mean).
I'm not sure what I'd be most excited about, the prospect of life being so ubiquitous that it has arisen spontaneously on two planets in a single star system or the more likely scenario that rafts of life could traverse the hard vacuum of space and we're all really martians.
Supposedly life may have got going much earlier on Mars as it cooled quicker being smaller. I'm not sure what I'd be most excited about, the prospect of life being so ubiquitous that it has arisen spontaneously on two planets in a single star system or the more likely scenario that rafts of life could traverse the hard vacuum of space and we're all really martians.
trust me.
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