NASA announcement about Curiosity discovery

From what I have heard, its believed to be bio markers in the analysis of the soil. They are pouring over the data and they will have a series of science teams triple check the conclusion. IF its true, which it likely is, then the question will be: Did life evolve to anything greater than a micro/cellular level? Or is this organic material from some place else? The answer will only lead to more questions. i think we all agree that there probably is or was, now fossilized life on Mars. Just how far it evolved is a better question. Multi cellular?

*In response to the fudging numbers to get more funding, we need a little faith in scientists (they are not politicians). I know worse crimes or schemes have been hatched, but to send billions more dollars and risk the lives of humans, in the pursuit to touch the Martian soil, all based on a lie? Seems bit much for the scientist. Politicans I believe would behave that way. My two cents.

Some believe they will announce some discovery of microbial life fossils, or maybe even a live sample.

It might be more likely that it is a resource discovery: Gold, silver, diamonds, oil?

That'd be pretty historical...say they find a gold mine 10x bigger than any on Earth, that'd be the needle that pops the gold bubble. Maybe the delay in announcement is some type of economic discussion on how to handle the potential influx of supply without causing a pricing crisis.

Future Mars prospectors will likely find mineral riches in some unusual settings, say planetary scientists studying the different ways valuable metals might have been concentrated on the red planet.

On Earth, surface waters, ground waters and even chemicals left by living things play major roles in leaching, concentrating and depositing valuable metals and minerals like iron, gold, silver, nickel, copper and many more. But on Mars there are no oceans or surface waters; no microorganisms either. What's more, the planet is so cold that even groundwater is frozen as permafrost and functions as little more than another mineral in the ground. So where does a starving miner look on Mars for usable quantities of ore?

Try the volcanoes and impact craters, says planetary scientist Michael West of Australian National University in Canberra and the Mars Institute.

news.discovery.com...

"Much of Mars is covered with dust, and we had an incomplete understanding of its mineralogy," said David Bish, one of the scientists monitoring Curiosity's findings from here on Earth at Indiana University. "We now know it is mineralogically similar to basaltic material, with significant amounts of feldspar, pyroxene and olivine, which was not unexpected. Roughly half the soil is non-crystalline material, such as volcanic glass or products from weathering of the glass."

www.escapistmagazine.com...

Scientists say the Martian soil at the rover Curiosity's landing site contains minerals similar to what's found on Hawaii's Mauna Kea volcano.

www.huffingtonpost.com...

Maybe it is some gemstone? Hawaii has a good deal of those...

Even the discovery of iron ore would be significant.

ETA: So who would claim the resources? The US gov?

What would you think if they found enough wealth to pay down the entire debt?

Honestly, materials on Mars must be worth more than 20T.


Even if I'm wrong, the discovery of commodities off Earth is inevitable. Funding for space exploration shouldn't be an issue, it will end up being the highest return investment we'll ever see.

Pretty obvious considering the instrument reporting the science that they hve discovered Methane and possibly carbon and oxygen at levels that are indicative of life. While they can't claim to have found life they can probably claim their readings are consistant with what they would expect if they had just ran some bacteria through the SAM instrument.

I like the gemstone idea too, or some other rare or valuable mineral. That also could be a good annoucement, or IF this back peddling is because the data is not conclusive it may turn out to be nothing at all. But, I am sure that they think they found something amazing. Only time or a leak will tell.

I know what it is! They found a rock - that's red, which "might" or "could" contain microbes of life once the scientist analyse it for the next 8months of course.....

I'm as much a fan of a breathless NASA announcement that some kind of gas is found in a rock that indicates there might have been a slim chance of life existing at one time as anyone. Which is to say, I would have a pretty hard time caring less.

reply to post by TheHistorian

i just have a feeling that its gonna be there are guinnea pigs/rats on mars

because of that damm pic lol

when i look at that pic of the guinnea pig that is what i see,

for the life of me i cant see a rock

NASA has a history of setting the public up for disappointment by advertising some big announcement in the weeks to come like they've discovered the creators. Then it turns out to be about as big a deal as any other thing the've announced. What's the matter with a press conference say... tommorow? I'm not saying that's what's happening again this time, but if it is then they've pretty much lost my confidence and support.

Please continue this discussion on the existing thread.

Link to other thread.