Strongest evidence yet of "WET MARS" . . . input please!

NASA - JPL ^ | 02-22-2004 | NASA/JPL

[Phil V.]

Microscopic Imager Non-linearized Full frame EDR acquired on Sol 28 of Opportunity's mission to Meridiani Planum at approximately at approximately 12:26:38 Mars local solar time, Microscopic Imager dust cover commanded to be OPEN. NASA/JPL/Cornell/USGS

VIEW FULL IMAGE

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"stereo" strip . . .

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Just below center and just to the left of center notice what appears to be a fractured "spherule". Notice the dark center. This is STRONGLY suggestive of growth by accretion - an increase by natural growth or by gradual external addition . . . a process FREQUENTLY associated with a water environment. This is MY interpretation. But the picture is NASA/JPL . . . it is worth a thousand words. Feel free to contribute.

[LibWhacker]

Yes, I do remember it came up . . . Not sure exactly where (I'll look around) . . . I think somewhere in discussions of the first series of pictures we saw of the little "berry" things.

[Wombat101]

Seems to me the "strongest evidence of a wet Mars" would be actual water, in any form. Has anyone found any or are we still fascinated by the "it used to be here" argument?

It would seem that with all the mention of "signs of water" on Mars, without any actual water being found, that we are being fed the search for water (and thus, the possibility of colonization) as justification for launching (as Fred Reed puts it) "a bunch of golf carts to another planet".

I actually like th eidea of space exploration and the benefits that (eventually) trickle down into our daily lives (I don't know what we would do without Tang), but it seems someone is confusing the trees with the forest -- the search for water, while important, seems to have become the central point of the whole excercise.

[thedugal]

Is that a blue dress?

[mikrofon]

Or perhaps a fossilized Martian turtle and egg? 8^)

This is the stuff of an exogeologists "wet dream" ...

Thanks again for the ping!

[Fitzcarraldo]

There is strong evidence for water ice and vapor on Mars. Ice in the form of permafrost may now cover half the planet, but its buried. An instrument on Mars Express will be mapping that buried ice (or brine) in a few months.

What the rovers are searching for are evidence of ancient water flows and lakes.

[thedugal]

It's not that easy. If everything we know about Mars is accurate it is almost impossible for water to exist in liquid form on Mars.

[Cold Heat]

associated with a water environment

Yes, looks like a calcium or nitrogen type of nodule.

A much better pic than before and it reveals so much.

[Socratic]

The surest way to check for evidence of a wet Mars is to feel the bed sheets.

[Natural Law]

So which came first, the turtle or the egg?

[PSYCHO-FREEP]

It's obvious! Were being lied to! There is a gubbermint whore cover-up. Those pictures are CHICKEN TRACKS made in the mud, the Martians let them out for a short while and then take them back to their underground cities! (excuse me, I have to change tinfoil. Things are getting fuzzy again.)

[Cold Heat]

Just some other thoughts,.........

I don't think we should be surprised that water was once a big part of the planets eco system.

We have suspected that for a long time. (ever since the canal idea came to the fore)

What we have yet to find is fossil eveidence.

Now that would be something to behold.

[fso301]

I'm not a geologist so pardon my ignorance.

Is it possible that this sphere was formed through accretion of some substance in the presence of liquid CO2?

[Bigg Red]

Cool!

[LibWhacker]

Here 'ya go . . . Don't know if he was the first one, but FireTrack mentioned stems here. Unfortunately, the picture he posted has disappeared.

[Cold Heat]

and thus, the possibility of colonization

No, you have that wrong..... A common misconception of the importance of water on Mars/Moon/wherever......

The importance of water is to manufacture spacecraft fuel for the return trip. Colonization, although a important idea, is way down the road.

[PSYCHO-FREEP]

The problem with that possibility is, the lack of atmosphere. High quantities of CO2 would mean there has to be an atmosphere of some kind or one would surely result from such a high quantity of it in liquid form which also means that in order for CO2 to be in a liquid form, it has to be compressed. In short, I don't believe that it is a viable theory.

[LibWhacker]

Okay, Phil, here's the pic. Gotta wait forever for the pic to appear, some kind of bandwidth issue:

[airborne]

Please add me to your bump list.

[Aracelis]

Thin-sections! We need thin-sections! Arggh!

[airborne]

Did I say bump?? I meant PING! Now where's my cooffee cup?!