[NormsRevenge]

It was fun while it lasted .. hope they have some other pics up soon.. Looks like this discussion of life now or in thepast will be going on for awhile.

They'll have to drill pretty deep to find any water, hundreds of feet probably,, could there be some forms of microscopic life still kicking on the innards of Mars?

Stay tuned to the same BatChannel and BatStation,kiddies ..

Are there any known caves or such in any of the larger geologic formations, I wonder. No shortage of stuff to explore, for sure. Send more rovers and some 'nauts.

Thanks for all your ping work.

[Phil V.]

. . . could there be some forms of microscopic life still kicking on the innards of Mars? . . .

I wasn't until the relatively recent past that "life was impossible" in the deep ocean trenches by the boiling hot "smokers". When Mt. St.Helens blew up and "sterilized" the area with white hot ash and buried all life in dozens of feet of steril volcanic material scientists were surprised to discover "critters" growing in the "pristine" pools NEXT SPRING. As we drill deep within this planet it is difficult to find NO LIFE. . . EVEN IN "IMPOSSIBLE" PLACES.

[Aracelis]

could there be some forms of microscopic life still kicking on the innards of Mars?

I'm gonna have to come up with my own ping list.

The resident "lunatic fringe" geologist is about to make a prognostication:

Just as Earth has life in the most inhospitable regions (black smokers, under the Antarctic ice sheets), Mars may indeed still have some life left. Although, it would likely be in deep, warm pockets of saline water. It therefore behooves us to get there as quickly as possible, perhaps to preserve some organisms from dying ecosystems.

Also...the presence of vast amounts of water on Mars implies something else...plate tectonics.