Posted on 12/14/2001 2:39:25 PM PST by grimalkin
The Mars Odyssey (MO) spacecraft has made its first significant discovery: it has detected large deposits of hydrogen - possibly water - near the Red Planet's poles.
Reporting MO's preliminary observations, scientists said the first pass by the probe's neutron spectrometer had revealed evidence of the element in soil at high latitudes.
"It is big," Bill Feldman, of Los Alamos National Laboratory, said of the strength of the signal picked up by Odyssey.
The results indicate large amounts of hydrogen on the surface, a likely sign of water-ice. The observations "are precisely what you would expect for a very hydrogen-rich environment", Feldman said.
Water, water, everywhere?
American space agency (Nasa) scientists said they were excited by the initial indications of hydrogen deposits, describing the readings sent back as clearer, more definite and much earlier than had been expected.
"We were expecting that it would take many orbits to determine the presence of hydrogen," said Stephen Saunders, a MO scientist. "But we saw it the very first time."
Scientists already know that water exists on Mars; it is frozen in the polar icecaps and exists as vapour in thin clouds.
There is also good evidence that water flowed on the planet's surface in the recent past, carving out deep channels and canyons.
Mapping mission
Significant water-ice deposits easily accessible from the surface would make it much more likely that life existed at some stage on Mars.
The MO is currently tightening its orbit around the Red Planet for a mapping mission that will get underway in January. It will use a battery of instruments to survey the planet's surface.
As well as the neutron spectrometer, its gamma-ray spectrometer will chart the chemical composition of the surface. Its infrared camera will peer at areas on the night side of Mars.
"We think it will be a very exciting winter and spring," James Garvin, a Nasa scientist, told a meeting of the American Geophysical Union in San Francisco.
No one explored America for the sake of long-term scientific knowledge. They came over to make quick money.
Every variable in the Drake equation is an assumption. The laws of probability only come into play when you multiply the variables together, and that doesn't change the danger of the Garbage In/Garbage Out.
NASA will never find freedom in space. That's like expecting the post office to find a cure for cancer. It's not that they're stupid, it's just that's not their mission statement.
Well said.
No way .... let's see CO2 liquifies at about 6-7 Terran atmospheres (6000-7000 millibars) and the guy with this scenario expects to find that that in an atmosphere with an average pressure around 6 millibars ???
I've received approval to sell a limited number of McDonald's franchises on Mars. They're a steal at $750,000. This is a ground floor opportunity not to be missed. All we need to get the ball rolling is $75,000. Okay?
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