Phoenix has Found Something More Compelling than Water

Phoenix has Found Something More Compelling than Water

www.astroengine.com

On Thursday, NASA held a press conference to announce that the recent TEGA experiment on board Phoenix had confirmed the presence of water in the Martian soil. Whist exciting, Phoenix scientists were expecting that result. However, behind the scenes, something else was being discussed and it had little to do with melting water…

Having just covered this story on the Universe Today, I can’t help but be intrigued. Apparently, an undisclosed Phoenix scientist has been in communication with Aviation Week concerning a “compelling” discovery on the Red Planet. What could this news be? Obviously it’s something important as NASA and the University of Arizona are going to great lengths to keep the details out of the public domain. Plus, Phoenix scientists have presented their preliminary findings to the Bush Administration’s Presidential Science Advisor. The report suggests that there has been an even more significant discovery from the robotic explorer, not only from the Thermal and Evolved Gas Analyzer (or “TEGA,” the instrument used to bake Martian samples) which confirmed the presence of water, but from the Microscopy, Electrochemistry, and Conductivity Analyzer (MECA) instrument. MECA has apparently found even more evidence for the “potential for life” on Mars. But this “evidence” will be the biggest discovery yet.

However, the Phoenix team need more time to analyse the complex data they’ve received and will wait till mid-August at the earliest to make a press release. Scientists are keen to point out that they have not discovered direct evidence for life on Mars (after all, Phoenix is not equipped to do this), but the indication is this new data will be even more profound than the discovery of water.

As if that wasn’t enough, it looks like they’ve had to take this news to the top. Advising the White House is a pretty big deal, so we’ll just have to wait and see what Phoenix has uncovered.

(visit the link for the full news article)





[edit on 2-8-2008 by magestyk7]

Does anybody know about this? There is NO MEDIA on this and Seemed that after George Bush got (Briefed)of all people.
He gets to filter what we can and cannot know about this finding.

*SNIP*

Moderator-Note: Profanity Removed.

Please Review this Link: Vulgarity on ATS

[edit on 2-8-2008 by Skyfloating]

Maybe they saw this scene captured by the camera.



Sorry couldn't resist.

I thought that the President never is totally aware of what goes on with the space stuff. Or maybe I'm just assuming so because it was on a movie.

I find it kind of an elitist attitude, that the USA decides when information is released about Mars.

However, the Phoenix team need more time to analyse the complex data they’ve received and will wait till mid-August at the earliest to make a press release. Scientists are keen to point out that they have not discovered direct evidence for life on Mars (after all, Phoenix is not equipped to do this), but the indication is this new data will be even more profound than the discovery of water.

So, they need a couple of weeks to concoct what they plan to tell the public?

What can be more profound than water? Just pondering that one.

reply to post by magestyk7
Cant find any additional info, but if the Pres. is being breifed about it it is a big deal. I have many idaes about what this news could be but if Bush is being informed and it is a big secret then I bet there is a possibility of maybe a actual living thing within the range of Phoenix's cameras. I doubt if the president would need to be informed if they found a microbe or a fossil. Heck maybe Phoenix struck oil. I guess that means we will have to invade....



[edit on 2-8-2008 by spookjr]

[edit on 2-8-2008 by spookjr]

reply to post by Ceara

Maybe alot more O2 than was previously found?

Well somethings up... I dont see why it would take weeks to analyze the complex data to find out about something that they discovered. They have SUPERCOMPUTERS that goes to Billions of EMAIL a day spying on people.
I'm very damn sure their computer is up to speed and if they analyzed something they will know in a few hours. That's how their satellite works...in a few hours they have the INFO.
Think about it, if they know SOMETHING it's because the work is already done.
SPECIALLY if BUSH has been briefed.
They just need time to think about what it would mean for the world and the U.S.
It's bull# and the sad thing is most people buy it.




[edit on 2-8-2008 by magestyk7]

Moderator-Note:

This story is already covered HERE in the Breaking News Forum.

I am moving this thread to "Space Exploration".

Exactly, the GCMS in my lab works in about 8 min. and will tell you anything you want to know about a given substance, pretty much. I wonder if they have found a previously unknown compound or possibly an unknown element. The fact that they say that the Phoenix is not equipped to detect life is total B.S., all it takes is a microscope and a camera. Even if they say they are still collating the data is as you say, already there. Preliminary findings could be announced within hours if they wanted to. As ignorant as Bush is, I wonder why they bothered telling him anything at all. Its not like he can really do much about it anyway, he only got 6 months left anyway.

[edit on 2-8-2008 by spookjr]

I tried to find something on this topic...but the only note I found was that besides water they analyzed samples which are close to the chemical formula of garden soil. Its microorganisms are soluble in water - so they could be used be possible life forms.

It may take a week or two to figure out a way to tell the Bible thumpers that organized religion as we know it, has been proven to be let's say, less than accurate.

Originally posted by FallenFromTheTree

It may take a week or two to figure out a way to tell the Bible thumpers that organized religion as we know it, has been proven to be let's say, less than accurate.

Sure thing buddy. It all started from a big bang, randomly, from nothing, in a space and time infinite as infinite can be. From a tiny black dot, it exploded for no reason, then from nothing came something.

Science will never answer these questions. There will always be Jesus, Allah, Budda. Everybody who I know that thinks this way is a Scrawny athiest who cant get laid. Stop being so angry with the world.

One can still consider the probability of some form of superior intelligence without complete faith
in stories written by men.

On a universal scale, I find it rather delusional for us to think we are anything more than
a lab experiment hell bent on self destruction.

Originally posted by FallenFromTheTree

...

On a universal scale, I find it rather delusional for us to think we are anything more than
a lab experiment hell bent on self destruction.

I find it delusional to think that too, but I dont know why ANYONE would think we are some type of lab experiment. God has a good reason for making everything that he does .

Originally posted by funky monk

Originally posted by FallenFromTheTree

...

On a universal scale, I find it rather delusional for us to think we are anything more than
a lab experiment hell bent on self destruction.

I find it delusional to think that too, but I dont know why ANYONE would think we are some type of lab experiment. God has a good reason for making everything that he does

.

This issue has already been addressed in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
The mice are experimenting on us. They paid the Fjord guy.

Originally posted by magestyk7
Well somethings up... I dont see why it would take weeks to analyze the complex data to find out about something that they discovered. They have SUPERCOMPUTERS that goes to Billions of EMAIL a day spying on people.
I'm very damn sure their computer is up to speed and if they analyzed something they will know in a few hours. That's how their satellite works...in a few hours they have the INFO.
Think about it, if they know SOMETHING it's because the work is already done.
SPECIALLY if BUSH has been briefed.
They just need time to think about what it would mean for the world and the U.S.
It's bull# and the sad thing is most people buy it.




[edit on 2-8-2008 by magestyk7]

this is to true well spoken
some people need to take this quaote seriously

Originally posted by spookjr
I doubt if the president would need to be informed if they found a microbe or a fossil.

I disagree. They would immediately inform the president so that he could make a televised announcement about the discovery once the finding was confirmed. If you doubt me then just look at history: Bill Clinton did the same thing for the martian meteorite ALH 84001 when they thought they were seeing signs of fossilized microbes embedded in the rock. Why would it be unreasonable for Bush to do the same thing?

Originally posted by FallenFromTheTree

It may take a week or two to figure out a way to tell the Bible thumpers that organized religion as we know it, has been proven to be let's say, less than accurate.

Where in the Bible does it say anything about the absence of life beyond earth? In fact, how many religions hold that earth is the only inhabited world in the universe? I get so irritated whenever I hear someone assume this. In fact, some christians believe the bible talks about alien visitation in the old testament.

Originally posted by magestyk7
Does anybody know about this? There is NO MEDIA on this and Seemed that after George Bush got (Briefed)of all people.
He gets to filter what we can and cannot know about this finding.

Briefing does not equal filtering. I suppose Clinton filtered ALH 84001 when he was briefed on the matter... no wait, we heard about that one, no wait, clinton himself made the announcement because it seemed so important.

If they did find life (microbes) What will happen if they decide to bring back a sample to Earth? Good or Bad idea?

Originally posted by 38181
If they did find life (microbes) What will happen if they decide to bring back a sample to Earth? Good or Bad idea?

It should be heavily tested first. It's bad policy to just bring it on back, if not necessarily a bad idea in this specific case. Although any microbe on mars is probably a form of extremeophile and unlikely to thrive in normal earth ecosystems, if they were to try a sample return mission and something went wrong (genesis probe anyone?) there is a risk that contamination will occur and a VERY tiny risk that the martian microbe will out-compete earth microbes in the environment that it lands in. For mars though, it would probably have to crash in the antartic to pose a threat. I wouldn't worry about an andromeda virus style problem though - such microbes would be completely unadapted to humans would probably be completely harmless from an infection point of view. I would worry more about the extremely remote risk of alien microbes outcompeting terrestrial microbes and causing an ecological meltdown as slightly higher terrestrial life forms would most likely be unable to utilize martian microbes as food and symbiotes the way they do with terrestrial microbes. The important thing would be to ensure safe earth return and to first test the martians to see if they can grow in earth-like environments recreated in-vitro.