NASA to Announce Mars Mystery Solved on sept 28th

Awesome - flowing water on Mars.
We're getting closer and closer guys!!

a reply to: Mastronaut

Despite the anticipation, this announcement is really huge. All of a sudden, we live in a world where liquid water on present-day Mars is a matter of fact. This is a game changer, not only for human settlement in future but also for potential life on the red planet today.

A good day for Mars exploration and certainly "one for the history books", to quote John Grotzinger on this occasion!

originally posted by: stargatetravels
Awesome - flowing water on Mars.
We're getting closer and closer guys!!

Just another 50 years and we'll know how much salt is in that water! With another batch of remote controlled cars!

*sigh*

I wish I was a billionaire and could just throw money at scientists and scream, "GET ME THERE!".

I'm convinced that even if I did that, "someone" would gently convince me to slow down. You can make anything happen if you throw enough money at it, and I'm sure there are wealthy people that would want to expand our space program. I wonder who is convincing them to slow down or stop...

I didn't watch the announcement or anything, but I didn't catch, with a quick scan here on this thread:

what was the evidence to back what they're saying? Sure, I believe them that there's water, but what's NEW?

Did the rovers do some mudding? New closeup photos/video? Or are they pointing to all the stuff people here have been pointing to, and they're just behind the curve?

a reply to: MystikMushroom

I know it is frustrating, we still haven't been back to the moon.
We need to get some people to mars ASAP or get some serious imaging equipment up there.
Or have kind of autonomous base camp or, ya know, somethin!!

I'm with you, it's frustrating! But still very exciting.

originally posted by: japhrimu
I didn't watch the announcement or anything, but I didn't catch, with a quick scan here on this thread:

what was the evidence to back what they're saying? Sure, I believe them that there's water, but what's NEW?

Did the rovers do some mudding? New closeup photos/video? Or are they pointing to all the stuff people here have been pointing to, and they're just behind the curve?

Well the big difference is NASA is saying this is likely briny liquid water, not somebody else, like usual. Furthermore, there's more work done on showing this is briny liquid water, not something inconclusive.

Here was some older precursor work done on these "streaks" of briny liquid water which're referenced in this thread:
(Dated August 5 2011)
www.npr.org - Dark Streaks On Mars May Be Sign Of Liquid Water...
(Dated Dec 10 2013)
news.discovery.com - Weird Mars Streaks Could Be Liquid Water Stains...

The one question I'm left with, given what I've read, is where is the water coming from? It seems there're two possibilities: the atmosphere or the ground. If it's only coming from the atmosphere (known as Deliquescence), it may not be enough to support any MARTIAN life, although it appears to be enough on Earth:
(SOURCE)

'We know from the study of extremophiles on Earth that life can not only survive, but thrive in conditions that are hyperarid, very saline or otherwise ‘extreme’ in comparison to what is habitable to a human. In fact, on Earth, wherever we find water, we find life.

'This finding is yet another example of water on Mars, but a hugely important one because it points to environments that could potentially be habitable to certain kinds of bacteria, even today.'

EDIT: On Earth, cyanobacteria are capable of subsisting in the Atacama desert solely on deliquescene. BUT Mars is quite a different environemnt and to say life exists there now BECAUSE of this is imagination:
www.seti.org - Life at the dry limit: Cyanobacteria inside halite pinnacles in the Atacama desert...

Oh great now we're going to divert the water on Mars just like we did the Colorado.

Watch us be the cause of a life form die off on Mars too.

"Yawn."

a reply to: MystikMushroom

I bet the next best thing in 10 years will be using VR tech.
I bet you will be able to look around on mars real time soon enough.
(they may fit future probes/drones with VR cameras).
Hope so anyhow.

originally posted by: jeep3r
a reply to: Mastronaut

Despite the anticipation, this announcement is really huge. All of a sudden, we live in a world where liquid water on present-day Mars is a matter of fact. This is a game changer, not only for human settlement in future but also for potential life on the red planet today.

A good day for Mars exploration and certainly "one for the history books", to quote John Grotzinger on this occasion!

Couldn't agree with you more. Now the assumption that there will be water at the destination point will have a large influence in the design of a future mission to Mars (manned or unmanned). In other words, that is a whole lot of mass that can now be eliminated from the design requirements.

a reply to: SonofaSkunk



Why bother dude? If the topic doesn't interest you move on and it is against T&C to post just one word posts.
To many on ATS this is stuff we love to know about so kindly in future show respect to the OP for bringing this news and other members who have contributed to it.

Back to the OP.

Wow liquid on mars what are the chances of life? I mean if it is briny life can survive there like on earth.

www.livescience.com...

originally posted by: boymonkey74

Wow liquid on mars what are the chances of life? I mean if it is briny life can survive there like on earth.

www.livescience.com...

True. This briny water has a source.

Perhaps that source is large, and there is a huge aquifer system below the surface of Mars. This, combined with earlier analyses of meteorites from Mars that are found to contain methane (potential energy sources for life), and the odds that life may be currently exist under the surface of Mars has increased.

NASA astrobiologists such as Chris McKay has long contended that if the right conditions exist under the surface of Mars, there could in fact currently be microbial life there -- and the possibility of aquifers of liquid water is a big step in the direction of "right conditions".

The scientists in the news conference brought up this possibility of the water helping to support subsurface life.

originally posted by: Denoli
Why do people think the earth is special ?
There's life everywhere in the universe,
And water everywhere, same old American
Approach , were the best , no one has what we have blah blah blah .

If you didn't think water was on Mars were you been living ? MARS ?

Because it is until proven otherwise
We don't know that for a fact. You are hoping it does. There's a difference.
We don't know that for a fact. You are hoping it does. There's a difference.
What are you blabbering on about? Are you jelly?

You can "feel" water existed on Mars all you wanted before today, but today was the day water on Mars is confirmed.

There big news was that the news was 10+ yrs old but they had a neat cgi they created.

originally posted by: Soylent Green Is People
True. This briny water has a source.

And, from most of the photos I have seen, it looks like the liquid water comes from a specific layer below the surface, so that layer (that appears to have a distinct look in comparison with the rest of the ground) may even have a different composition and be almost like a new planet under the surface.

remember years ago when they first used telescopes to see mars.
and they found Canals!!!
and Only now do they say mars has water.

I think this is a set up.
water taken from earth and put on mars? mad?
now we know why we stopt going to the moon and mars.
so they would have to to set this up.
they have been terraforming mars.
now they Will get the world to help them.
what are they up to? and its Not peace.
ok it sounds crazy. and it is.

a reply to: Mastronaut

I dont really subscribe to the "wherever there is water there is life" rationalization. This is true on this planet, which has a dense atmosphere and strong magnetic field that allows cells to exist with relatively little radiation degradation. Mars still has an environment that is largely lethal to earth like life. We might find some microbes living deep under the surface there, but its doubtful we would find anything complex, even multicellular.

Well so much for this picture then LOL

Well look how many trips we've made to Mars already, all that man made junk we've put there... it's obvious that man is causing global warming on Mars now too.

originally posted by: KingIcarus

originally posted by: Denoli
Boring !
Didn't 99% of people know that anyway ?
Just confirms it .
I'd rather watch glue dry than listen to the

HEY WITH SPENT BILLIONS OF YOUR MONEY TO TELL YOU 💩 YOU ALREADY KNOW !

With the greatest of respect, it seems that you know very little. Liquid water has been theorised for years, but proving that to the satisfaction of peer review is a much trickier prospect - not least as this is our first time encountering such such a thing. You do realise this is happening on another planet right?

For one, this makes life (in our current understanding) more likely than ever, and secondly it means Mars natively has one of the most important raw materials required to mount a manned trip.

Deny ignorance indeed.

Actually this just shows peer review is a delaying of information. Keeping the ignorance of people in longevity.
What many already knew just from simple deduction, is now confirmed. And confirmed with a large helping of arrogance.
This isn't denying ignorance, it's mandating ignorance within academia.

If I had a nickel for every time I knew something that was confirmed years later by the establishment, I would have a huge pile of nickels.