Mars Discoveries Spur Talk of New Mission

AP on Yahoo ^ | 2/25/05 | Toby Sterling - AP

[NormsRevenge]

NOORDWIJK, Netherlands - Scientists said Friday they have discovered possible evidence of frozen seas and volcanic activity on Mars and called for a follow-up mission to find if there is life on the red planet.

The recommendations came at the end of a weeklong meeting in the Netherlands held to analyze results from the European Space Agency's Mars probe.

A straw poll conducted among 250 participants of the conference showed that 75 percent believe that life in the form of bacteria once existed on Mars. Twenty-five percent thought there might still be life on the planet.

Scientists have long theorized there was once water on Mars, the planet most like Earth in our solar system, and data from NASA (news - web sites)'s Mars Rovers has recently appeared to confirm it. But most believed the water had evaporated away early in the planet's history, leaving it cold and dry.

Now it appears Mars's core may interact with the surface, meaning there is both warmth and moisture in the planet's recent past.

"This mysterious lady is slowly revealing her secrets," NASA scientist Everett Gibson said. "From what we've seen Mars meets all the requirements that are needed for life to exist."

The conference revealed the likely existence of a frozen sea near its equator, as well as signs of lava flows 20 million years ago.

"You can see baby (volcanic) cones. I think they're still growing," said Professor Gerhard Neukum, who led the analysis of the high-resolution photographs taken by the Mars Express probe orbiting around the planet for the past year.

"I cannot prove it, but the evidence is very suggestive," he said.

News of the discovery of the frozen sea — which is the size of Earth's North Sea and appears similar to ice packs on Antarctica in photos — made international science headlines on Tuesday.

Gibson, an American invited to join in the analysis of the ESA project, said "our perception has changed" because of the week's findings.

"The closest thing I can compare it to was when we had samples back from the moon," Gibson said. "This week we had good data back from Mars."

ESA's science director David Southwood said the quality of the results from the ESA project and the NASA rovers showed it was time for governments to sponsor a new mission to reach the planet's surface, and perhaps bring samples back to Earth.

"You don't go back to Mars on the cheap," he said, calling for funding. "No money, no mission."

The ESA probe, which cost $264 million, featured seven different projects including a chemical analysis of Mars' atmosphere measuring the amount of carbon dioxide, methane and other gases.

Further testing showed the existence of clay and gypsum deposits formed by water in the soil and indicated that up to 100 tons per day of matter is being blown off the planet into space by the solar wind.

A French group found that Mars's ozone layer is thinnest where water vapor is thickest, a finding with possible implications for Earth, where water vapor in the upper atmosphere is believed to be rising.

[NormsRevenge]

European Space Agency scientists think that there was and could even still be life on Mars and want a new European mission to the red planet to take samples, a conference heard on February 25, 2005 in Noordwijk, The Netherlands. This hand out image taken from the European Space Agency's Mars Express spacecraft shows the Martian north polar ice cap with layers of water, ice and dust for the first time in perspective view. This image shows cliffs which are almost two kilometers high, and the dark material in the caldera-like structures and dune fields could be volcanic ash. (ESA/Reuters)

[NormsRevenge]

This picture, taken by the European Space Agency's Mars Express in January 2004, shows a perspective view of a mesa in the Valles Marineris on Mars, the largest canyons in the solar system.(AFP/HO-ESA/File)

[GeronL]

Start packing, bring the ski's

[Gumption]

[NormsRevenge]

Can we get a banner with Go Home, EUroweenies, instead. ;-0 LOL

[NormsRevenge]

LOL.. put some snow makers on those slopes and wow.


Gigantic Downhill racing. Yikes!

[kingattax]

[Gumption]

Right after we wipe out every last one of them damn Martains.

[NormsRevenge]

LOL.. 'scuttlebutt', well, wild conjecture anyway, is there are underground cities and an advanced civilization that we earthians may be descended from...

They're trying not to attract Michael Moore or Je$$e HiJackson's attention.

[GeronL]

McDonalds is going to sell Green Martian Burgers?

[Lando Lincoln]

"Wonder if the French could grow grapes here."

Lando

[JasonC]

Think we could fit all the world's commies on this rock? Sure it might be expensive to get them there - but consider it a long term investment. Just think how much better earth would be...

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

ROFL!

Another set of scientists want money to continue their explorations on a far away planet.

[martian_22]

We're the New Galactic Order and nobody's sweetheart.

[Gumption]

We're the New Galactic Order and nobody's sweetheart.

That's fine, but puts some close on why don't ya?

[Gumption]

Awe jeez, clothes not close

[Mier]

Hey, didn't a lot of these left wing,tree hugging,socialistic,anti American,anti gun,pro big government, pro abortion maggots want to leave the country after Bush won the presidency? Wouldn't this be the perfect place for them?

I would gladly help them pack their bags, drive them to the Mars bound spaceship,light the fuse and wave good bye.

[taxesareforever]

Twenty-five percent thought there might still be life on the planet.

And 25 percent have been classified as looney.

[wyattearp]

Why give it to the leftists? I'd go in a heartbeat! Somebody's tagline from a few years back on another forum: "The earth is our mother. Our nine months are up."

I'm sick of all this 'sample-taking' and all of these cutesy little robots that take miniscule samples that just leave everybody guessing anyways. It's time for the real thing. Time to get off of this water-logged rock.

[buffyt]

My daughter is a senior, Hydrogeology major, at UT. She would be able to go to Mars and tell you if there was water there. But I won't let her go! She is on a geology field trip today. She has them about every weekend lately, out in the cold rain all day. I wonder if she wishes she had majored in home ec. or interior design, indoors jobs.