Is there a Life On Mars Conspiracy?

Times Online ^ | 06/11/2009 | Michael Brooks

[Scythian]

Some pesky scientists have just pointed out an appalling design error in NASA’s latest attempts to find life on Mars. This is beginning to look like a conspiracy. Does someone not want us to find life on Mars?

NASA has tried looking for signs of life on Mars precisely once, in the 1976 Viking mission. The result was positive. The reason nobody says there is life on Mars is that another experiment, part of the same mission, couldn’t find any carbon-based “organic” chemicals in Martian soil. This, NASA decided, overruled the other result: with no carbon present, there could be no microbes living on or under the surface of Mars.

Last year, the Phoenix lander repeated the carbon search and failed to find organic molecules. The problem is, we know that there ought to be organic molecules on Mars. Asteroid and comet impacts will have put them there. So what’s going on?

[Paradox]

Conspiracists on the left, AND the right, its plain silly, no sad, and even dangerous.

[PC99]

The ludicrous article alludes to conspiracies by nameless, sinister, bureaucratic forces at a monolithic NASA. They aren’t like the “smoking man” on the X-files, and don’t work at top-secret government-military installations, they are teaching and research faculty at places like the University of Arizona, Texas, and Brown University. Go to the JPL website and you can send emails to the principal investigators of the Phoenix mission. If the author has evidence they are part of a conspiracy, have the balls to challenge them by name.

[ZX12R]

The ludicrous article alludes to conspiracies by nameless, sinister, bureaucratic forces at a monolithic NASA. They aren’t like the “smoking man” on the X-files, and don’t work at top-secret government-military installations, they are teaching and research faculty at places like the University of Arizona, Texas, and Brown University.

There you go. Taking the wind out of the FRringies sails. You are definitely a naysayer.

[Filo]

Why would there be not just an expectation, but an assumption that asteroids contain organic material?

Because they do.

Organic material isn't anything special. It's just carbon compounds that can, and do, form naturally.

[Cobra Scott]

I think the religious fundamentalist angle was meant to be over the top sarcasm; the preceding sentence is the real issue. Not incompetent scientists per se, but research driven by bids and politics. kind of like “census research”.

[drangundsturm]

Creationists have sneaking into the NASA labs at night and fiddling with the controls on the machinery.

Apparently they converted away from metric in order to crash the 1998 mission. I have the smoking gun! Here is the line of code the nasty creationists changed:

//Comment: shhhh let's crash it by switching
//from meters to cubits!!!! That'll teach em!
// serves the godless rocket scientists right!
velocity = 9.2 meterscubits/second^2

[drangundsturm]

whoops that was supposed to be acceleration not velocity

[Dallas59]

Let science do their job and let people believe what they want to believe.

[ZX12R]

LOL! Cubits per second. That’s funny.

[Cobra Scott]

well of course. But the article is an exercise in questioning what people might do with all this money at stake, not about religion.

A well intentioned boondoggle is still a boondoggle.

[Old Professer]

We deserve everything coming to us...

[count-your-change]

I knew it!

[Gator113]

Keep this **Top Secret**

-—Freepers eyes only-—

Everyone knows that Reid has direct access to area 51. Several decades ago, Reid authorized a launch to Mars from within area 51. A sealed package secreted onboard contained Obama’s original long form BC. You see, what we have been experiencing today has been planned for a long time.

Obama was the child from the unholy union between Reid and Pelosi. They had to get the B/C off of our planet.

The CIA recently discovered this foul doing and that is why Pelosi has been trying to discredit the CIA.

Also involved in this conspiracy is T Kennedy. You see, Kennedy doesn’t really have a brain tumor, he’s pregnant, that’s not a brain in his head, it’s an alien womb.

Specter’s move to the democrat party is not what everyone thinks. He too is pregnant and his baby is due very soon. Bwarny Frank is it’s father.

I can’t report more right now because my nurses caught me on the computer and they want me to go back to my room and take my meds. I will no doubt be probed again too.

[metmom]

Let them. Then they can hit LA, NO, and Philadelphia while they’re at it.

[wally_bert]

Actually it was Gene Hunt with help from Chris and Ray who sneaked in and beat up everyone as a preview of what would happen if they didn’t go along.

[count-your-change]

I’ve heard of Gene Hunt, biologists are always hunting for gene, and I’ve heard of Ray, he out shines the others, but Chris??

[wally_bert]

Chris is the unknown factor that keeps everyone guessing.

[Buck W.]

Actually, it’s acceleration, and it’s 9.8, not 9.2, but it’s still funny!

[Scythian]

I will no doubt be probed again too.

Oh man, that whole reply was hilarious, I busted a gut man, thanks, you added at least a month onto my life with that reply ....

[Gator113]

I was just having some fun... glad it made you laugh. ;>)