Posted on 12/03/2004 9:54:07 AM PST by JesseHousman
WASHINGTON -Scientists studying new data are confident Mars once had water, leading to new speculation about life on the Red Planet.
After studying thousands of images from Mars, scientists are convinced that liquid water once flowed on the surface of the Red Planet, increasing the odds that life may have existed there in the distant past.
As a result, space travelers should act as if there once were -- and perhaps still are -- living creatures on Mars that must be protected from destruction or contamination, according to Jeffrey Kargel, a senior planetary scientist at the U.S. Geological Survey in Flagstaff, Ariz.
In an article in this week's edition of the journal Science, which will be out today, Kargel also pointed out the risk that earthlings could be infected by alien microbes brought home from Mars.
''Planetary protection considerations require the assumption that Martian life exists until we learn otherwise,'' Kargel wrote. ``Before proceeding with sample returns or human missions to Mars, all possible care must be taken to avoid crosscontamination between the Earth and Mars.''
A specialist in planetary geology, Kargel is the author of a new book, Mars: A Warmer, Wetter Planet.
THE LATEST DATA
Proof that there used to be liquid water on Mars comes from pictures and chemical readings by a NASA robotic rover inside a crater near the Martian equator. Scientists said the new evidence removed any doubts and qualifications that marked previous claims of finding water.
''No hedging needed. There was liquid water on Mars. Case closed,'' Kargel wrote in an e-mail message.
''We're certain,'' agreed Steve Squyres, an astronomer at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., and lead investigator for the twin rovers that have been exploring Mars since January.
The recent discovery in the Martian atmosphere of traces of methane, a gas produced by plants and animals on Earth, also raised hopes for finding signs of life. But nonliving chemical processes also generate methane, so its presence is inconclusive.
''Ponderings on the life issues remain highly speculative,'' Kargel said.
But the water finding is solid, say 11 reports in Science by astronomers, biologists, chemists and geologists.
They based their conclusions on detailed analyses of images of exposed bedrock several yards down in a small crater, Eagle, on a broad plain called Meridiani Planum.
The evidence studied included ripples in the rocks like those caused by flowing water on Earth, and salty chemicals like those found in dried-out lake beds or acid mine drainage.
'It may have been rather `icky' water -- highly acidic, very salty, maybe super-cold, but definitely just plain nasty water from any human perspective,'' Kargel said. ``Maybe it was good enough for microbial life to enjoy.''
127,000 SQUARE MILES
In a report in the Sept. 9 issue of the journal Nature, based on satellite information, Brian Hynek, a planetary scientist at the University of Colorado's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics, estimated that water may once have covered 127,000 square miles of the Meridiani Planum, an area comparable to the Great Lakes combined.
''Liquid water, which our results show was once abundant at Meridiani Planum, is widely viewed as a key prerequisite for life,'' Squyres wrote in Science. ``Therefore, we infer that surface conditions at Mediriani may have been habitable for some period of time in Martian history.''
© 2004 Herald.com and wire service sources. All Rights Reserved. http://www.miami.com
You'll love this one then, it's my absolute all-time favourite:
http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/image/planetary/mars/marsglobe1.jpg
Again, an excellent photo. I've made it my system's desktop. What is the name of the huge, gash-like feature?
The Valles Marineris Canyon.
http://www.spacedaily.com/news/marsexpress-04o.html
Good evening.
"All we gotta do is rewrite the laws of physics concerning water."
Or warm the place up.
Michael Frazier
Hey, here's a site to have some fun with - Nine Planets - Image and Animation Index....pictures, info, movies...
http://www.star.ucl.ac.uk/~apod/solarsys/cap/index.htm
A lot of scientific work carried on in the US is nonsense while some is good and necessary. In respect to Mars there was no water. Understand, there was no water.
I say that the pinheaded thinking that had a Niagara on Mars has the Global Warming Thing by the hand and they've been shaking and shaking in our face and that theory isn't worth
a dime.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
