Gallery: Photos suggest flowing water on Mars

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• RE: Gallery: Photos suggest flowing water on Mars

  If only this could be true! I caught my first glimpse of Mars through a telescope in 1956 and have been hooked ever since.

  

  darwin@...

  4 August, 2011 14:48

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• RE: Gallery: Photos suggest flowing water on Mars

  Very exciting. We'll need to put the next rover down in these areas to see what it can find.

  

  boomchuck1

  4 August, 2011 14:51

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  • The next rover => MSL (launch date: Nov. 25, 2011)

    @boomchuck1 -
    
    NASA is launching a Jeep-sized robot geologist to Mars in November. ( http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/ ) Curiousity's target is the Gale crater where an asteroid has conveniently dug out and lifted up eons of rock strata. Since these salt water seeps seem to appear on the edges of craters, I suspect they're going to be pouring over (pun intended) the Mars Reconnaisance Orbiter images of Gale's rim looking for just that sort of formation so Curiousity can try and get a scoop for analysis.
    
    In the mean time, the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity is right now crawling towards the 22 km wide Endeavour Crater. Since it still has a few klicks to go, and charging ahead at 6 km per _year_, MSL may be roving Gale before Opportunity rolls into Endeavour. No doubt they will be looking for this sort of formation there as well. So far, the only craters we've poked at were far smaller (and so less likely to get lucky and find a Martian leak).
    
    So far, all evidence is that while Mars did have water and may have had life, we have not been able to find any direct evidence yet. I'd be ecstatic (not to mention a little mind-blown) if MSL spotted a little smudge of algae with its microscope in some water leaking from the edge of Gale.

    

    JJMach

    4 August, 2011 16:25

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• RE: Gallery: Photos suggest flowing water on Mars

  still need more examinations. the next rover perhaps could bring us more data.

  

  hakeem_dj

  4 August, 2011 15:21

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• RE: Gallery: Photos suggest flowing water on Mars

  Is it possible that wind could shift heavy and light minerals causing them to simulate the flow of water on the crater walls? Perhaps a study of our own deserts would give credence to this theory?

  

  chuck@...

  4 August, 2011 17:04

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  • RE: Gallery: Photos suggest flowing water on Mars

    @chuck@... While Earth and Mars have their similarities, I suspect that the differences that would render the results of the desert studies useless for comparison. Mars has no magnetic field to protect its surface from the same cosmic radiation that is blocked by Earths magnetic field. Mars gravity is approx. one third of Earth because Mars density is 1/10th of earths density.

    

    nkfro

    4 August, 2011 21:57

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• RE: Gallery: Photos suggest flowing water on Mars

  Sure would be nice if we had the budget to send some scientists to these areas. And I dont mean in a space capsule but in a nice sized comfortable ship that uses centrifical force for gravity and enough elbow room to walk around in. A 6 month trip is a long time to just sit in a capsule. Something with multiple areas the size of shipping containers, kitchen, library, sleeping quarters, ect.

  

  Ratclif

  4 August, 2011 17:54

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• Red Planet

  Maybe if China gets there to colonize it first, it can be the first Red Planet.

  

  maskkkk

  4 August, 2011 19:03

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• Its Wind Erosion

  It looks like wind erosion to me. Water ravines don't just fade away. Its pretty obvious to me. For an indirect comparison, examine sandy river bottoms where the flow is water instead of wind, you get the same patterns emerging.

  

  Peopleunit

  4 August, 2011 19:37

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  • Don't see how you see that

    @Peopleunit Wind, particularly on a planet with a light atmosphere, doesn't make streams!! There's clearly a volatile flowing in the stop time images.

    

    Mac_PC_FenceSitter

    5 August, 2011 06:39

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• Shadows!

  Looks like different shadows at different times of the day to me!
  
  An water == life? The conclusion is a bit quick!

  

  ragnar.moller@...

  4 August, 2011 23:24

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  • RE: Gallery: Photos suggest flowing water on Mars

    @ragnar.moller@... that's not the only reason to make the conclusion. The timing of the water flow also matches seasonal emissions of methane on Mars. And there are only two ways methane (a dissipating gas) could be there - geological processes (Mars is not thought to be geologically active), or life.

    

    Mac_PC_FenceSitter

    5 August, 2011 06:41

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• RE: Gallery: Photos suggest flowing water on Mars

  Personally the question for me is why have we NOT been there yet? The fact that man kind's progress is defined and controlled by "money" makes us laughable. When will we learn to simply work together for the greater good? Instead we refuse to do a damn thing unless someone gives us some little shiny coins in return.

  

  eLearner

  5 August, 2011 01:33

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  • It would be a lot more fun to spend our money on Mars

    @eLearner
    
    Instead of on a bunch of free-loaders here.

    

    zmud

    5 August, 2011 05:42

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• RE: Gallery: Photos suggest flowing water on Mars

  More hype in an attempt to get more funding.

  

  exudlbo

  5 August, 2011 08:59

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• RE: Gallery: Photos suggest flowing water on Mars

  Are we sure that BP does't have an oil well near there? Hopefully we can arrange for some of our esteemed congressmen to go there on a fact finding junket.

  

  john_gillespie@...

  5 August, 2011 09:21

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• RE: Gallery: Photos suggest flowing water on Mars

  It would be infinitely better to focus our money on Mar exploration rather than constantly sending money and young adults into war.

  

  cochraness

  5 August, 2011 12:39

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