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Soil tests in; Mars habitability possible
The Wildcat Online ^
| 07/02/08
| Alex Dalenberg
Posted on 07/02/2008 7:24:59 PM PDT by KevinDavis
The Martian soil uncovered by the 'Phoenix' Mars Lander might not be that different from the dirt in your own backyard. In fact, you might even be able to grow asparagus in it, mission officials said.
The UA-led mission conducted the first ever wet-chemistry experiments done on another planet yesterday. 'Phoenix' tested the soil's chemical properties, like pH and mineral content, by mixing it with water in its onboard labs.
The first experiment showed that Mars' soil has some of the basic nutrients needed to support life and is, in some respects, very earth-like, said Sam Kounaves, the mission's wet-chemistry lead.
(Excerpt) Read more at media.wildcat.arizona.edu ...
TOPICS: Miscellaneous; Science
KEYWORDS: mars; science; space
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MARSWARD HO!!!
To: markman46; AntiKev; wastedyears; ALOHA RONNIE; RightWhale; anymouse; Brett66; SunkenCiv; ...
2
posted on
07/02/2008 7:25:41 PM PDT
by
KevinDavis
(Barak Obama: The Candidate of Clarification)
To: KevinDavis
MARSWARD HO!!!
Name the first manned craft "Conestoga".
3
posted on
07/02/2008 7:27:16 PM PDT
by
Army Air Corps
(Four fried chickens and a coke)
To: KevinDavis
Yeah, but who wants to eat asparagus?
4
posted on
07/02/2008 7:28:02 PM PDT
by
tbw2
("Sirat: Through the Fires of Hell" by Tamara Wilhite - on amazon.com)
To: KevinDavis
Cool. Saddle up! We’re gonna need some mighty big mules tho.
5
posted on
07/02/2008 7:28:40 PM PDT
by
NormsRevenge
(Semper Fi ... Godspeed ... ICE toll-free tip hotline 1-866-DHS-2-ICE ... 9/11 .. Never FoRget!!!)
To: tbw2
The asparagus growers in my area really don’t need the competition. I don’t eat it, but many do. The first really successful automated asparagus harvester was recently demonstrated near here. Invented and refined by a farmer over decades. Maybe he has a market on the red planet.
6
posted on
07/02/2008 7:33:01 PM PDT
by
steve86
(Acerbic by nature, not nurture™)
To: KevinDavis
time to begin to terraform mars?
7
posted on
07/02/2008 7:33:28 PM PDT
by
robomatik
((wine plug: renascentvineyards.com cabernet sauvignon, riesling, and merlot))
To: Army Air Corps; All
I prefer the name Enterprise...
8
posted on
07/02/2008 7:33:33 PM PDT
by
KevinDavis
(Barak Obama: The Candidate of Clarification)
To: NormsRevenge; All
Probably some nuclear powered mules..
9
posted on
07/02/2008 7:34:34 PM PDT
by
KevinDavis
(Barak Obama: The Candidate of Clarification)
To: robomatik; All
10
posted on
07/02/2008 7:35:06 PM PDT
by
KevinDavis
(Barak Obama: The Candidate of Clarification)
To: robomatik
time to begin to terraform mars? First you'll have to overcome two practically insurmountable obstacles:
1. The lack of atmosphere (about 1 percent the air pressure we have here), and
2. The low ambient temperature.
You'll never overcome item 1 without finding a way to increase the gravity of the planet, and you'll never overcome item 2 without moving the planet closer to the sun. Someday we may have the technical resources and energy cheap enough to artificially maintain an Earth-like climate on Mars in its current dimensions and orbit; but I cannot imagine it happening this century, or for that matter in the next.
11
posted on
07/02/2008 7:39:06 PM PDT
by
Oberon
(What does it take to make government shrink?)
To: KevinDavis
It’ll be interesting to see what they end up doing.. better to let it go commercial eventually. lots of big space chunks to be mined and such..
I just hope to live long enough to see a Moon much less a Mars base.
12
posted on
07/02/2008 7:39:50 PM PDT
by
NormsRevenge
(Semper Fi ... Godspeed ... ICE toll-free tip hotline 1-866-DHS-2-ICE ... 9/11 .. Never FoRget!!!)
To: KevinDavis
This is good because now the geeks will need to fabricate a world full of farm equipment that runs on anything other than oil.
Its a refreshing thought and I am sure a nightmare for the sandrats to even contemplate a world without oil.
13
posted on
07/02/2008 7:39:55 PM PDT
by
Eye of Unk
(The world WILL be cleaner, safer and more productive without Islam.)
To: KevinDavis
14
posted on
07/02/2008 7:40:01 PM PDT
by
TomGuy
To: Oberon; All
It is going to be slow and tedious process to terraform a planet..
15
posted on
07/02/2008 7:40:11 PM PDT
by
KevinDavis
(Barak Obama: The Candidate of Clarification)
To: KevinDavis
Only if it has twin engine nacelles.
16
posted on
07/02/2008 7:41:45 PM PDT
by
Viking2002
(Barak Obama is as inept as a bear cub with his dink.)
To: NormsRevenge; All
McCain does support sending humans to Mars, so that is why I’m supporting him, however, I have a feeling it is going to be done by private industry..
17
posted on
07/02/2008 7:43:08 PM PDT
by
KevinDavis
(Barak Obama: The Candidate of Clarification)
To: TomGuy; All
18
posted on
07/02/2008 7:43:45 PM PDT
by
KevinDavis
(Barak Obama: The Candidate of Clarification)
To: Eye of Unk; All
That would be my ideal world.. A world with depending on oil front the sandrats..
19
posted on
07/02/2008 7:44:43 PM PDT
by
KevinDavis
(Barak Obama: The Candidate of Clarification)
To: Oberon
20
posted on
07/02/2008 7:45:06 PM PDT
by
lonestar67
(Its time to withdraw from the War on Bush-- your side is hopelessly lost in a quagmire.)
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