Martian soil may contain detrimental substance

Martian soil may contain detrimental substance

apnews.myway.com

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Scientists say the Phoenix spacecraft has found a substance in the Martian soil that might be detrimental to possible life.

If confirmed, it could mean the soil may not be as friendly as once thought.

Scientists previously reported that the soil where Phoenix landed in May was Earth-like, containing nutrients such as magnesium, sodium and chloride.

The latest lab tests show the presence of an oxidizing substance.

NASA is investigating whether the substance could have gotten there by contamination.

(visit the link for the full news article)

I have a funny feeling that this is contamination due to the use of rocket engines to slow the craft during its descent phase. I was surprised to know that NASA would use this type of landing rather than a hard landing with use of air bags. It will be interesting to see what additional soil analysis reveals.



apnews.myway.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

I hate to say it, but it makes some sense to me. IF (big if) Mars is actually a red planet as pictures and telescopes tell us then there has to be something that is widespread to cause the color. A strong oxidizer might be the culprit.

There are a lot of different oxidizing agents that may be present in the Martian soil.

CO2 is a great oxidizer, it makes up over 95% of the Martian atmosphere.
It makes sense that it could be plentiful in the soil.


Some others are salt and bromines. It doesn't look to promising for any life as we know it.

Seems to me that the surface is indeed pretty well oxidized. But for how long, and how deep below the surface?

Will they say something? Will they continue to lie and cover up something? JeeZuss Already Jeeze gosh cheese and tarnation! That oxidizeing subtance in that there soil is proly deadly up in the at-mose-fear. But put it back in the dark, underground away from the suns rays THEN you might got something.

The presence of oxygen has been and always will be indicative of plant life. Especially in the size of the amounts. Just because a phenomena can happen when Ice melts and freezes under different conditions to sorda release oxygen.

I dont think thats the case. Oxygen to me says plants, algae, microbes something.....

Did any microbes we sent there in phonix survive for any amount of time?

I mean certianly we sent up a mouse or something to see how long it could breath martian air right?

reply to post by titorite


Forget about a mouse. How about a Wandering Jew? I'm not a scientist or anything, but don't plants breathe carbon dioxide? The main element in the Martian atmosphere?

Well think of who we are dealing with here.
Compulsive liars who do as they are told like slaves.
Next they will be telling us, there is no mars, we never sent anything there, what soil, and shhhh don't talk about that watch tv idol is on with some nice new ads to buy some useless crap.

reply to post by Interestinggg


You're probably right. Shouldn't be long now, and the Flat Earth Society will have their vengeance. "See, we told you so." The Earth is flat and sits at the center of the universe.

"It would appear that the US President has been briefed by Phoenix scientists about the discovery of something more \"provocative\" than the discovery of water existing on the Martian surface. This news comes just as the Thermal and Evolved Gas Analyzer (TEGA) confirmed experimental evidence for the existence of water in the Mars regolith on Thursday."

And as soon as he is briefed........breakout the lies boys!
This is gonna be a tough one.To keep our slaves stupid.
It has to be something better than swamp gas.
But still something extremely boring and uninteresting.

I smell something fishy here...after all the positive news we get this!!! Someone is pulling strings here

Originally posted by LiquidMirage

Martian soil may contain detrimental substance

apnews.myway.com

...The latest lab tests show the presence of an oxidizing substance.
...

(visit the link for the full news article)

(said in Dana Carvey's "church lady" voice): Might this oxidizer be, oh I don't know, OXYGEN?

No apparently it's perchlorate as stated in this AP News

I love you. I hate you. No, I love you, no I hate you. So much bunk. We don't throw 100's of millions of recon at a planet for no reason. Period.

Why is finding perchlorate on Mars an event that requires a presidential briefing, yet finding water wasn't? Maybe they all were, but this was hyped up like it was something special... perhaps I am missing the significance.

"an oxidising substance" is surely simply a compound containing oxygen. As in, quite essential to life?

Originally posted by LazyGuy
I hate to say it, but it makes some sense to me. IF (big if) Mars is actually a red planet as pictures and telescopes tell us then there has to be something that is widespread to cause the color. A strong oxidizer might be the culprit.

Yeah its RED because of iron oxide just like Red Rock canyon out here... for iron to get to iron oxide it requires a VERY STRONG oxidizer...

OXYGEN is your oxidizer hence the oxi in oxidizer... It also usually is speeded up by with water... iron rusts slowly in the desert quickly in wet climates... the 'blueberries' are Hematite... they knew hematite was at the landing site thats why they went there...

hematite is also an oxide of iron.. but usually forms in round spheres UNDER water...


May NASA will find a nasty bug or toxin and say "Well that's that folks... no manned Mars mission..."



They are already saying the 'raging dust storms that follow the terminator on the Moon may cause hazards to colonists..."



As to the landing rockets causing contamination... I thought they were liquid hydrogen and LOX and if that is the case the only contamination would be water... I guess I will have to look up the engines now

[edit on 5-8-2008 by zorgon]

reply to post by LiquidMirage


Well star and flag anyway

Phoenix Mars Lander scientists say Martian soil may be harsh to life

Scientists previously reported that the soil near Mars' north pole was similar to backyard gardens on Earth where plants such as asparagus, green beans and turnips could grow. But preliminary results from a second lab test found perchlorate, a highly oxidizing salt, that would create a harsh environment.

ABC News


PERCHLORATE

Perchlorates are the salts derived from perchloric acid (HClO4). They occur both naturally and through manufacturing. They have been used as a medicine for more than 50 years to treat thyroid gland disorders. They are also used as an oxidizer in rocket fuel and explosives and can be found in airbags, fireworks, and Chilean fertilizers. Both potassium perchlorate (KClO4) and ammonium perchlorate (NH4ClO4) are used extensively within the pyrotechnics industry, whereas ammonium perchlorate is a component of solid rocket fuel. Lithium perchlorate, which decomposes exothermically to give oxygen, is used in oxygen "candles" on spacecraft, submarines and in other esoteric situations where a reliable backup or supplementary oxygen supply is needed. Most perchlorate salts are soluble in water.

WIKI

Here is the engine from the company that made them...

The use Hydrazine....

The carbon-free hydrazine-powered engines on Phoenix have been in Aerojet's inventory since the 1980s, and earlier incarnations have been a part of every Mars mission since the first Viking missions of the mid-1970s.

Hydrazine, an ammonia derivative, is used as a fuel in Mars missions because it contains no carbon, the basis for life forms.
Click here to find out more!

"We're always looking for life on Mars. And we assume that life would be carbon-based," said Olwen Morgan, a spokeswoman at Aerojet's Redmond facility.

AEROJET

HYDRAZINE

Hydrazine is a chemical compound with the formula N2H4. It has an ammonia-like odor, and is derived from the same industrial chemistry processes that manufacture ammonia. However, hydrazine has physical properties that are more similar to those of water.

Hydrazine is usually handled as 60% (saturated) aqueous solution for product safety reasons.

Hydrazine is mainly used as a blowing agent in preparing polymer foams, but significant applications also include its uses as a precursor to polymerization catalysts and pharmaceuticals.

Hydrazine is used as rocket fuel and to prepare the gas precursors used in air bags. Approximately 260 thousand tons are manufactured annually.

WIKI

Originally posted by Interestinggg
"It would appear that the US President has been briefed by Phoenix scientists about the discovery of something more \"provocative\" than the discovery of water existing on the Martian surface. This news comes just as the Thermal and Evolved Gas Analyzer (TEGA) confirmed experimental evidence for the existence of water in the Mars regolith on Thursday."

And as soon as he is briefed........breakout the lies boys!
This is gonna be a tough one.To keep our slaves stupid.
It has to be something better than swamp gas.
But still something extremely boring and uninteresting.

I'm glad someone mentioned this 'briefing' because a new bit has been released about this as well.

The briefing reports are "bogus" and "damaging" claims nasa scientist:

news.yahoo.com...