Ice on Mars!

Nemesis77

Diamond Member
Jun 21, 2001
7,329
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And not just tiny bits, but LARGE amounts of it!



<< Observation of large amounts of ice on Mars

Basis of observation:

The evidence for large amounts of ice in the southern hemisphere of Mars comes from three different instruments in the Gamma-Ray Spectrometer (GRS) instrument suite on board the 2001 Mars Odyssey spacecraft: the Gamma Ray Sensor, the Neutron Spectrometer (NS), and the High-Energy Neutron Detector (HEND). Each of these instruments has detected the signal expected from a large amount of ice in the surface, or regolith, of Mars. The presence of ice is indicated by signals due to hydrogen, one of the major constituents of water, which has the chemical formula H2O. This formula signifies that water is made up of two atoms of hydrogen combined with one atom of oxygen. We determine the amount of hydrogen in the soil by two different techniques. One relies on the ability of hydrogen to slow down, or moderate, neutrons and the other relies on the fact that hydrogen can absorb a neutron and then emit a gamma ray of a specific and characteristic energy. We have seen both of these effects in the initial data from the Mars Odyssey GRS.
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Source
 

GrumpyMan

Diamond Member
May 14, 2001
5,780
266
136
Finally, no more hot iced tea up there. It was really getting to me. :)
 

Martin

Lifer
Jan 15, 2000
29,178
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<< Not sure if this is cool or scary. >>




its very cool.


if everything goes as expected, mars might be inhabitable in several hundred years. :)
 

Martin

Lifer
Jan 15, 2000
29,178
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<< Why is this anymore important than those huge icecaps? >>



this is more evidence of them.
 

Sepen

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
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<< When's the next probe due to arrive there? >>




You should mean when is the next probe due to crash there? ;)
 

sandorski

No Lifer
Oct 10, 1999
70,881
6,420
126
Maybe terraforming, ala the movie Mission to Mars, should be attempted.

Or maybe all that Hydrogen is just the fuel for a huge Hydrogen bomb that some alien species has made into a Doomsday device! :eek: They came to Earth, they probed some trailer trash, they freaked, and then decided that they didn't want humans to reach their planet. Solution: Use Mars as a giant space mine that'd take Earth out if necessary.
 

Tominator

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
9,559
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All a theory designed to garner tax money for another probe...and I don't care if Mars is 3/5 water! We ain't got the technology to go there and back and live.....
 

Ryan

Lifer
Oct 31, 2000
27,519
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81
Alright, time to start adding CO2 to it's atmosphere to warm the planet up and give it an atmosphere.
 

StormRider

Diamond Member
Mar 12, 2000
8,324
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What would be scary to me is if we send a probe and it comes back with some ice samples. But as it is thawed and examined we noticed little microbes swimming in it. Then since we don't have any immunity to these Martian bacteria, the entire population of Earth dies.
 

Elledan

Banned
Jul 24, 2000
8,880
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<<

<< When's the next probe due to arrive there? >>




You should mean when is the next probe due to crash there? ;)
>>


*snigger*

Hopefully NASA-engineers will have decided to solely use the Metric system by then :D
 

Martin

Lifer
Jan 15, 2000
29,178
1
81


<< All a theory designed to garner tax money for another probe...and I don't care if Mars is 3/5 water! We ain't got the technology to go there and back and live..... >>




We have the technology and going there and back again is quite feasable. The only thing that's lacking is money and the desire.


After all, if robots can do the same work as humans, but much more cheaply, then why bother with humans?

instead of 1 space crew you can probably send 50 probes there.
 

rgwalt

Diamond Member
Apr 22, 2000
7,393
0
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<<

<<

<< When's the next probe due to arrive there? >>




You should mean when is the next probe due to crash there? ;)
>>


*snigger*

Hopefully NASA-engineers will have decided to solely use the Metric system by then :D
>>



Hey, those unit conversion problems are REALLY HARD. They aren't easy like the high order ODEs that govern planetary motion.

;)

Ryan
 

Elledan

Banned
Jul 24, 2000
8,880
0
0


<<

<<

<<

<< When's the next probe due to arrive there? >>




You should mean when is the next probe due to crash there? ;)
>>


*snigger*

Hopefully NASA-engineers will have decided to solely use the Metric system by then :D
>>



Hey, those unit conversion problems are REALLY HARD. They aren't easy like the high order ODEs that govern planetary motion.

;)

Ryan
>>

Yeah, just imagine converting inch to millimeter. I'll take calculating the orbit of, for example, Mars over that any day :p
 

Tominator

Diamond Member
Oct 9, 1999
9,559
1
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<< We have the technology and going there and back again is quite feasable. >>


Not even close unless to would have an unlimited budget and even then the chances of survival for the trip would be less than any endeavor in man's existence.
We have yet to even get close to meeting the requirements of the human body for that long in space let alone the mechanical/scientific challenges.