Curiosity Rover Confirms Martian Air Is Mostly CO2

AP) ^ | July 18, 2013 11:28 AM

[BenLurkin]

There was a small surprise: Viking found nitrogen to be the second most abundant gas in the Martian air, but Curiosity’s measurements revealed a nearly equal abundance of nitrogen and argon, a stable noble gas.

Mission scientists are puzzled, but suspect it might have to do with the different tools used to sample the atmosphere.

[BenLurkin]

Several years ago, telescopes on Earth detected a surprising and mysterious belch of methane in three regions in the Martian western hemisphere. ... NASA in the fall is set to launch a Mars-orbiting spacecraft aimed at solving the methane mystery.

[Buckeye McFrog]

then how come it’s SO FRIGGIN’ COLD THERE?????

[reg45]

Then why isn’t the temperature 1000K?

[Ingtar]

Those damned, dirty apes and their Martian SUVs.

[Vendome]

Let’s start an Ascencion project and plant all kinds of things...

[oh8eleven]

Martian Air Is Mostly CO2
Just damn ... cancel my vacation plans.

[Telepathic Intruder]

The atmosphere of mars is only 1% as dense as Earth's. There is no doubt that CO₂ is a greenhouse gas, but there are other factors which the alarmists either don't realize or don't want to. It's a very mild greenhouse gas compared to other things like methane or water vapor. The Earth also has a carbon cycle which scrubs CO₂ from the atmosphere naturally. And of course, plants breathe it. The more CO₂ there is, the better plants will grow.

[TomGuy]

I wouldn’t be surprised if science eventually learns that Liberal Martian scientists adjusted for global warming and ended up killing the planet.

[RedMonqey]

...telescopes on Earth detected a surprising and mysterious belch of methane in three regions in the Martian western hemisphere...

That was during my brother”s vacation time...

Hmmmm...

[MHGinTN]

According to Werner von Braun they killed the surface and moved underground. Apparently they have to vent the methane build-up through special exit shafts originally built to filter the air they sucked into their caverns. Now, they get their oxygen from plant life grown underground.

[BenLurkin]

It’s worth a try!

[Zhang Fei]

It won’t be in my lifetime, but I hope scientists eventually figure out what science fiction writers have called terraforming, defined as the creation of an earth-like environment on other planets.

[BenLurkin]

Apparently that was part of writing a sci-fi story...http://www.apogeespacebooks.com/Books/ProjectMars.html .

[familyop]

"then how come it’s SO FRIGGIN’ COLD THERE?????"

Low atmospheric pressure, thin atmosphere, quick thermal losses. If you go to a high elevation/altitude on earth here (like my place at around 9,200 feet), you can feel a little bit of the effect in winter. Even in the summer, intense sun effect can be felt, even at mildly low temperatures. When a cloud rolls over, the temperature drop is surprising to visitors. With peaks only a few miles to the west and most often a west wind, temperature changes of even higher elevations are felt (~ 11,000 to 14,000 feet, winds swooping down to 9,200).

The lowest low that I've spotted here was -39 F last winter (hope to upgrade PV solar plant enough to get the weather station mounted and connected to the Net, as other stations are too far downwind and warm to get needed location data). Wind gusts hit over 110 mph in winter, BTW (quick thermal losses at altitude, varying elevations and temperature clashes).

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks BenLurkin.

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[clearcarbon]

"telescopes on Earth detected a surprising and mysterious belch of methane in three regions in the Martian western hemisphere."

Abiotic methane or did dinosaurs colonize Mars?

[MHGinTN]

Yep, I read it as a Washington Post Sunday insert, decades ago.

[BenLurkin]

Good thing I didn’t post it in “Breaking News”

8^)

[MHGinTN]

Way back then I thought it was pretty good. I need to read it again now that I’m ‘over the hill’ and see if it seems as good.