H2O
Being the prefectionist that I am, I was not able to find a subscripted H2O that would work here...anybody?
Being the prefectionist that I am, I was not able to find a subscripted H2O that would work here...anybody?
OK, H2O and nutrients have been found on Mars.
- Thread starter RideFree
- Start date
Found lots of HTML code and specialized font sets... :disgust:Originally posted by: RideFree
H2O
Being the prefectionist that I am, I was not able to find a subscripted H2O that would work here...anybody?
Although I have not been on many forums, does this belong here or where?
I guess it's MOD time!
Personally, I think there are many technical aspects to this discussion...
How reliable are the results that we are being fed?
What are the criteria for seminal antique amoebas?
I can take all the fun out of this by postulating another couple of dozen questions, but that would be pontificating.
I guess it's MOD time!
Personally, I think there are many technical aspects to this discussion...
How reliable are the results that we are being fed?
What are the criteria for seminal antique amoebas?
I can take all the fun out of this by postulating another couple of dozen questions, but that would be pontificating.
PottedMeat
Lifer
- Apr 17, 2002
- 12,363
- 475
- 126
I say we load up a spacecraft with our hardiest bacteria / organic trash and crash it into mars. Wait a couple years and see what we've got. Maybe we'll get some doom contagion that will kill us all, maybe not. It's worth a shot for the LULZ.
Born2bwire
Diamond Member
- Oct 28, 2005
- 9,840
- 6
- 71
Originally posted by: RideFree
H_2O
Being the prefectionist that I am, I was not able to find a subscripted H_2O that would work here...anybody?
Your welcome.
Originally posted by: RideFree
H2O
Being the prefectionist that I am, I was not able to find a subscripted H2O that would work here...anybody?
I only care if they went from "water and life only exists on earth" to "life is teaming everywhere in the universe".
But as long as they're breaking me in with the notion that life exists elsewhere besides earth slowly by releasing "new" data every year, I dont care.
I'd be interested, though having water and nutrients alone is not proof of anything and is likely not even sufficient for life.
Cogman
Lifer
- Sep 19, 2000
- 10,286
- 145
- 106
Thats about where I stand. It would be somewhat exciting if they found bacteria of some sort, but barring a somewhat intelligent creature (martian spider?) there isn't a lot that will really get me excited.
I guess that if they find life there it would mean the the chances of life elsewhere are going to be extraordinarily high, and the possibility for a human intelligent creature in our galaxy would be far greater then people have been postulating
Scientists care... as with anything that sounds educated, most of the public will yawn and ignore it unless we find complex organisms. (i.e. Macroscopic!)
As for the scientific community, remember that we only have on example of how life works. If we found a second example on another planet - or moon, like Triton - it could revolutionize the biology and chemistry fields, especially if it functions differently than ours.
Remember that even with all of the interesting species of plants and animals we have on Earth, every animal's individual cells have the same basic structure. My skin cells are identical to those on a rat, a zebra, or a whale, except for our DNA. What if the fundamental structure of life on Mars is not built like anything we know? The public wouldn't understand, but science would be a very busy and interesting industry.
As for the scientific community, remember that we only have on example of how life works. If we found a second example on another planet - or moon, like Triton - it could revolutionize the biology and chemistry fields, especially if it functions differently than ours.
Remember that even with all of the interesting species of plants and animals we have on Earth, every animal's individual cells have the same basic structure. My skin cells are identical to those on a rat, a zebra, or a whale, except for our DNA. What if the fundamental structure of life on Mars is not built like anything we know? The public wouldn't understand, but science would be a very busy and interesting industry.
Excellent!
"What if the fundamental structure of life on Mars is not built like anything we know?"
That could be as exciting as NASA announcing their new "Warp Drive"!
Mars orbit in 30 seconds - why? It's less than a parsec.
Jeff7
Lifer
- Jan 4, 2001
- 41,596
- 20
- 81
What Cogman and Foxery said were very spot-on.
For now, we have one baseline for what life is, and where it comes from: Earth life.
Finding evidence of it elsewhere in the solar system would be an incredible discovery. It could help us learn about how life came about in the first place, how long it might take for it to arise naturally, and what other forms it may take.
Mars is just a first step, and is selected because it's a hospitable place for our probes, it's relatively nearby and easy to get to, and it has water, either in the form of ice at the poles or below the surface, or in the form of various hydrates in the soil.
There are other locations that would be of interest:
- Jupiter's moon, Europa. It's thought to have a large sub-surface ocean of water. Exploration problems: No atmosphere, so no parachutes to slow down a lander, meaning it would require the use of rockets. Rockets means more fuel, and a more complex spacecraft. The radiation environment at Jupiter is also quite intense, requiring specially hardened electronics. Finally, there's the matter of the icy crust, which could be miles thick, and is hard as solid rock. Drilling or melting through it would require a lot of hardware, and either way, a lot of energy.
Such a place has some very interesting elements for life:
- A large ocean to allow all kinds of mixing and particle interaction.
- Chemical energy from compounds dissolved in the water, or erupting from vents on the floor, similar to those on Earth's deep oceanbeds.
- Thermal energy, generated by tidal forces that constantly contort all of Europa - these are the same forces that create enough heat to liquefy sulfur and other substances on the moon Io, creating the largest volcanic eruptions in the solar system.
- Saturn's moon, Enceladus. Jets of frozen water mist were found spewing out from large cracks in the moon's southern hemisphere, hinting at the presence of reservoirs of sub-surface water.
- Titan, also at Saturn. Not so much a place to look for life, but a place to look at a location that could hold (frozen) precursors to it. The surface is covered with liquid hydrocarbons.
- Triton, at Neptune. Geysers, or perhaps "cryovolcanoes" were glimpsed by Voyager 2. A dedicated mission there, at least in the near-term, is unlikely simply because of the great distance. Cassini, sent to Saturn, was already a Flagship-class probe, the largest and most complex device we've ever sent to another planet. About half of its launch mass was fuel, a majority of which was needed to slow it down enough to enter orbit at Saturn. I don't know much about orbital mechanics, but since Neptune is much less massive than Saturn, slowing down to enter orbit would require even more fuel.
Out of all of them, I would most like to see more missions to Europa, orbiters at the very least. I think it has the best chance of anywhere else in the solar system of having something alive today, as opposed to somewhere like Mars, where we'd be more likely to only find fossilized remains. (Though fossilized remains would still be an incredible discovery.)
For now, we have one baseline for what life is, and where it comes from: Earth life.
Finding evidence of it elsewhere in the solar system would be an incredible discovery. It could help us learn about how life came about in the first place, how long it might take for it to arise naturally, and what other forms it may take.
Mars is just a first step, and is selected because it's a hospitable place for our probes, it's relatively nearby and easy to get to, and it has water, either in the form of ice at the poles or below the surface, or in the form of various hydrates in the soil.
There are other locations that would be of interest:
- Jupiter's moon, Europa. It's thought to have a large sub-surface ocean of water. Exploration problems: No atmosphere, so no parachutes to slow down a lander, meaning it would require the use of rockets. Rockets means more fuel, and a more complex spacecraft. The radiation environment at Jupiter is also quite intense, requiring specially hardened electronics. Finally, there's the matter of the icy crust, which could be miles thick, and is hard as solid rock. Drilling or melting through it would require a lot of hardware, and either way, a lot of energy.
Such a place has some very interesting elements for life:
- A large ocean to allow all kinds of mixing and particle interaction.
- Chemical energy from compounds dissolved in the water, or erupting from vents on the floor, similar to those on Earth's deep oceanbeds.
- Thermal energy, generated by tidal forces that constantly contort all of Europa - these are the same forces that create enough heat to liquefy sulfur and other substances on the moon Io, creating the largest volcanic eruptions in the solar system.
- Saturn's moon, Enceladus. Jets of frozen water mist were found spewing out from large cracks in the moon's southern hemisphere, hinting at the presence of reservoirs of sub-surface water.
- Titan, also at Saturn. Not so much a place to look for life, but a place to look at a location that could hold (frozen) precursors to it. The surface is covered with liquid hydrocarbons.
- Triton, at Neptune. Geysers, or perhaps "cryovolcanoes" were glimpsed by Voyager 2. A dedicated mission there, at least in the near-term, is unlikely simply because of the great distance. Cassini, sent to Saturn, was already a Flagship-class probe, the largest and most complex device we've ever sent to another planet. About half of its launch mass was fuel, a majority of which was needed to slow it down enough to enter orbit at Saturn. I don't know much about orbital mechanics, but since Neptune is much less massive than Saturn, slowing down to enter orbit would require even more fuel.
Out of all of them, I would most like to see more missions to Europa, orbiters at the very least. I think it has the best chance of anywhere else in the solar system of having something alive today, as opposed to somewhere like Mars, where we'd be more likely to only find fossilized remains. (Though fossilized remains would still be an incredible discovery.)
The farther man travels into space, the more evident it is going to become what a miracle life on Earth really is.
D. Kozloski
D. Kozloski
I remember reading that a few scientists would not be surprised life existed on other planets because of ejecta from earth after bombardment, seems likely to me this would easily carry microscopic life into space very easily.
I imagine we'll find life on mars if we send better robots or mankind itself.
I imagine we'll find life on mars if we send better robots or mankind itself.
Gen 1:26 (KJV)"And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness:..."
which, of course, describes me to a "T"...
However, Yeshua said most interestingly, "And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd. (John 10:16 KJV)
Which allows me to speculate even past the Jew ? Gentile answer to John 10:16???
I concur. However, It appears that we may be in a better position to make Mars a round trip (as opposed to a one way) a lot sooner than to build Robby the Robot.
DrPizza
Administrator Elite Member Goat Whisperer
That's the most ridiculous thing I've read all day. What do you think those to rovers are on the surface of Mars? Chopped liver? They're robots. We can build and send dozens of specialized robots for the cost of just one round trip for a human.
Dr. Pizzaz!
As a quasi mod, I thought you'd have more decorum than to let your ego run amok.
You seem to think that the Mars rover(s) have more brain power than an amoeba.
Now, that truly is the most ridiculous thing I?ve read all day.
As a quasi mod, I thought you'd have more decorum than to let your ego run amok.
You seem to think that the Mars rover(s) have more brain power than an amoeba.
Now, that truly is the most ridiculous thing I?ve read all day.
You are not making sense. What is that supposed to mean? The Mars rovers are robots, that is beyond discussion. What do amoebas have to do with anything?
It will be decades before any robot that we build will be the equal of the human brain at any level - if then.
And, since we lack the current expertise to interject a human brain into the "life on Mars" equation, we will be bound to the next-best-thing...
What do you think NASA would like to do, stick with robotic exploration, given the equal opportunity to send a man/men in its place?
I think you're confusing the capacity to think with the capacity to analyze samples and send the data back for human analysis of the results. While a robot doesn't have my brain capacity, I certainly can't perform mass spectroscopic analysis on soil samples.
I really don't think robots are very good at looking for artifacts.
Do you think that a robot is going to ?spot? a relic like the ALH84001 meteorite discovered in Antarctica?
Do you think that a robot is going to ?spot? a relic like the ALH84001 meteorite discovered in Antarctica?
Er. You do realize that we send instructions back to the robots, yes? They don't just sit around hoping for something to happen to them.
Also, the expensive part of sending humans isn't the rocket... it's the safety precautions involved in making sure they make it back alive. Robots are "cheaper" because they are expendable.
Also, the expensive part of sending humans isn't the rocket... it's the safety precautions involved in making sure they make it back alive. Robots are "cheaper" because they are expendable.
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