Posted on 12/11/2007 3:00:58 PM PST by blam
Mars rover finds signs of microbial life
By Katie Franklin and agencies
Last Updated: 8:53am GMT 11/12/2007
Nasa says its Mars rover Spirit has discovered "the best evidence yet" of a past habitable environment on the planet's surface.
Spirit unearthed a patch of silica-rich soil
Spirit has been exploring a plateau called Home Plate, where it discovered silica-rich soil in May.
Researchers are now trying to determine what produced the patch of nearly pure silica - the main ingredient of window glass.
They believe the deposits came from an ancient hot-spring environment or an environment called a fumarole, in which acidic steam rises through cracks.
On Earth, both of these types of settings teem with microbial life, said rover chief scientist Steve Squyres.
"Whichever of those conditions produced it, this concentration of silica is probably the most significant discovery by Spirit for revealing a habitable niche that existed on Mars in the past," he said.
"The evidence is pointing most strongly toward fumarolic conditions, like you might see in Hawaii and in Iceland.
"Compared with deposits formed at hot springs, we know less about how well fumarolic deposits can preserve microbial fossils. That's something needing more study here on Earth."
Spirit and its twin rover Opportunity have remained on Mars for much longer than originally planned.
Their mission has been extended five times since they landed on opposite sides of the planet in January 2004.
But the rovers faced their biggest challenge yet this summer, when a series of dust devils blanketed their solar panels and limited their movement.
Winds managed to clean off Opportunity, but Spirit is still covered in gunk and working at 42 per cent capacity.
Scientists said Spirit was now facing a face against time to reach a resting spot for winter.
"Spirit is going into the winter with much more dust on its solar panels than in previous years," said Nasa's John Callas, project manager for the rovers.
"The last Martian winter, we didn't move Spirit for about seven months. This time, the rover is likely to be stationary longer and with significantly lower available energy each Martian day
Bacteria on Mars? When did Congress go there?
Best change that to... 
"Merde on Mars? When did Congress go there?"
First of all, that’s a false headline. Tabloid news I guess...
Second of all, wake me up when they find people somewhere else.
If they are going to search for Martian life, then investigating this type of soil is a very logical place to start. However, simply finding this soil doesn't even hint that there was Martian life.
Don't you just love it when idiots write news articles. The rovers were intended to remain on Mars forever, or until someone goes there and brings them home for a museum (whichever comes first).
What is unexpected is that the rovers have remained operational for such a long time.
Looks as though other freepers have beaten to the punch....
LOL true. After all, my original statement would be an insult to bacteria.
Sounds like a better argument for colonization, actually.
It could also mean:
-you’re a pervert
-you have big manboobs
You know the mission is successful because news organizations have stopped printing the initial cost in every report. Now they just go out of their way not to use the words “America” or “American” when describing the mission or the rovers.
Let’s not mess with it. Just check every day for a million years to see what grows.
There has to be bacteria there now. We brought it.
Since when has the Hildabeast been using Mars for an Out house
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