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Astronomy Picture of the Day 1-28-03
NASA ^
| 1-28-03
| Robert Nemiroff and Jerry Bonnell
Posted on 01/28/2003 1:06:11 AM PST by petuniasevan
Astronomy Picture of the Day
Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer.
2003 January 28
The Lost World of Lake Vida
Credit & Copyright: Thomas Nylen & Andrew Fountain (PSU), NASA, NSF
Explanation: A lake hidden beneath 19 meters of ice has been found near the bottom of the world that might contain an ecosystem completely separate from our own. In a modern version of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's classic book Lost World, scientists are now plotting a mission to drill down into the lake and take out a small part to see what's there. Lake Vida, buried under Antarctic ice for over 2,500 years, is liquid only because of its high salt content. Previously, scientists drilled to within a few meters of the lake and indeed found frozen microbes. Their existence bolsters speculation that similar microorganisms could be found in frozen brine beneath the surface of Mars. If living organisms are found in Lake Vida, they may give an indication that life might even still exist under similar frozen ice-sheets, such as under the larger Lake Vostok, parts of Mars, and even moons of Jupiter such as Europa. Pictured above, a robot meteorological station continues to monitor surface conditions over the ice-sealed lake.
TOPICS: Astronomy; Astronomy Picture of the Day; Science
KEYWORDS: antarctic; antarctica; brine; drill; dryvalley; exploration; frozen; ice; lake; lakevida; lakevostok; life; microbes; salt; vida; vostok; water
This project has been going on for a while in one of the Dry Valleys of Antarctica. The logistics for the drilling attempt are difficult to accomplish in such an extreme climate, but that is a good way to test equipment. Probes sent to Mars or Europa will benefit from experience we gain this way.
This lake is covered by only its own ice - about 60 feet thick. In interior East Antarctica, Russian scientists found a lake buried under 2 miles of ice. Here's a cutaway graphic of glacier-buried Lake Vostok:
Read about the fascinating lake under the coldest place on Earth
A Sea of Mystery, Frozen in Time
More on the McMurdo Dry Valleys
MCMURDO DRY VALLEYS REGION, TRANSANTARCTIC MOUNTAINS
To: petuniasevan
2
posted on
01/28/2003 1:07:24 AM PST
by
petuniasevan
(Antarctica is an amazing place)
To: MozartLover; Joan912; NovemberCharlie; snowfox; Dawgsquat; viligantcitizen; theDentist; ...
3
posted on
01/28/2003 1:09:14 AM PST
by
petuniasevan
(Whoops hit post button by mistake)
To: petuniasevan
Thanks for the ping...now let's go discover the Ice Maidens of Europa!
4
posted on
01/28/2003 4:46:30 AM PST
by
GodBlessRonaldReagan
(where is Scotty Moore when we need him most?)
To: petuniasevan
'That's all the way nice.'
To: petuniasevan
Antarctica is awesome! Thanks so much for the ping. :)
6
posted on
01/28/2003 6:40:14 AM PST
by
Joan912
(i hate the colorado avalanche)
To: petuniasevan
In interior East Antarctica
Which way's east?
To: petuniasevan
8
posted on
01/28/2003 8:57:47 AM PST
by
MeekOneGOP
(9 out of 10 Republicans agree: Bush IS a Genius !!)
To: WSGilcrest
9
posted on
01/28/2003 12:59:35 PM PST
by
petuniasevan
(Guess they just chose "east" and "west" from the hemisphere they face)
To: petuniasevan
Very interesting.
10
posted on
01/28/2003 1:17:19 PM PST
by
sistergoldenhair
(Don't be a sheep. People hate sheep. They eat sheep.)
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