Big News From Mars? Rover Scientists Mum For Now

reply to post by Flavian

Interesting, need to look into that more. Although, thinking about it, i think you may be right. The Rover is more equipped for reading geological data isn't it?

Exactly. What might make this "history making" is if the sample being analyzed was chosen because the "hand lens" showed that it had some sort of structure suggestive of life. In other words, they may have spotted something that looked like it might be a small patch of lichen, or a chalky vein suggestive of diatomaceous earth, zapped it, and found a lot of "CHON." If that's the case, they will naturally re-check their data carefully before announcing any conclusions.

Well whatever. It's going to be hard to scrounge up excitement over some weird strain of bacteria.

I hope it's a time capsule!

reply to post by BellaSabre


Actually a strain of bacteria would be something good.
Not only it would back up our science and life on planet earth, but it will also give us a reason that there might be more others.

Well my concern would be that strain of bacteria is not our own lol...

the link says the information will be released in a couple of weeks
just in time for the 21st of december
this is it people get ready

Originally posted by InfaRedMan
The rover isn't rigged with the correct equipment to find life.

IRM

Ummm, determining if life could, has or does exist is one of Curiosities mission objectives. Along with working out the feasibility of a maned mission to Mars.

Mars Science Laboratory: Mission Objectives
To contribute to the four science goals and meet its specific goal of determining Mars' habitability, Mars Science Laboratory has the following science objectives.
Biological objectives:
1.Determine the nature and inventory of organic carbon compounds
2.Inventory the chemical building blocks of life (carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorous, and sulfur)
3.Identify features that may represent the effects of biological processes
Geological and geochemical objectives:
4.Investigate the chemical, isotopic, and mineralogical composition of the martian surface and near-surface geological materials
5.Interpret the processes that have formed and modified rocks and soils
Planetary process objectives:
6.Assess long-timescale (i.e., 4-billion-year) atmospheric evolution processes
7.Determine present state, distribution, and cycling of water and carbon dioxide
Surface radiation objective:
8.Characterize the broad spectrum of surface radition, including galactic cosmic radiation, solar proton events, and secondary neutrons

mars.jpl.nasa.gov...

Trying not to get my hopes up...

He did break down and tell his family. "I remember at the dinner table with great excitement explaining to my wife, Susan, and my daughter, Bethany, what it was we were doing," says Zare. And then he experienced something many parents can relate to when talking to their kids. "Bethany looked at me and said, 'pass the ketchup.' So, not everybody was as excited as I was," he says.

I'll try not to get my hopes up too then.

He already seems to have discounted it being Methane

"We knew from the very beginning that we had this risk of having brought air from Florida. And we needed to diminish it and then make the measurement again," he says. And when they made the measurement again, the signs of methane disappeared.

Hmm I wonder what it is. I hope it makes me as excited as it makes John Grotzinger

The News "Life on Mars detected!" is imminent. (Moss and Lichens)
The hidden war inside Nasa and other Intel/Military Agencies is over after the Obama re-election, and they are ready to announce the news before the end of 2012... (21 december 2012? )

Step.... by.... step.... NASA.
Nothing will be like before.

I bet.

I bet its something like zircon crystals www.deseretnews.com...

It is so lame to wait several weeks to tell us something that "might be" when NASA never confirms anything anyway...they always say, It seems, but will need more study blah blah blah", MEH!

The moment this rover was making all kinds of news about it's decent and the "minutes of terror" I knew something was up.

They made a huge media deal out of this rover, probably because they knew it would find something.

The rover will find "something" aka signs pointing to life. To a scientist that's exciting, I guess.

I just don't get it people. We can build an 800 mile pipeline across Alaska, house people in one of the harshest places on Earth for oil, go to the moon 40 years ago -- but we can't send a better rover?

I keep screaming this to people:

Anything is possible if you throw enough money at it

If we really want to go to Mars or live on the Moon, we could do it in less than a decade.

*shaking head*

reply to post by Ginga


Did they ever announce what the second "shinny particles were" maybe they will. but doubt it.

I think so many people are hyped about how Aliens should be from movies and stories that they are looking down on Bacterias, and Fungus.....and Algae...


Only if people knew.. the capabilities....of those simple organisms....


Finding that on Mars, which is so close to us is like winning a lottery.



I'm more worried its going to be something like "We found a porous rock" or something like that.

I sure as hell doubt the thing has found a sea shell.......its gotta be somethig micro......whatever....
ho hum ill be sure to try to tune in as the world ends just to find out.....

Originally posted by luciddream
I think so many people are hyped about how Aliens should be from movies and stories that they are looking down on Bacterias, and Fungus.....and Algae...


Only if people knew.. the capabilities....of those simple organisms....


Finding that on Mars, which is so close to us is like winning a lottery.



I'm more worried its going to be something like "We found a porous rock" or something like that.

Exactly.

I would be overjoyed to get Mars Moss just in time for xmas. :-)

It would be one of humanities oldest questions answered. Thats not bad for the price of a robot and a rocket.

Originally posted by luciddream
I'm more worried its going to be something like "We found a porous rock" or something like that.

How about, "We found a rock from Earth?" We have rocks from Mars here on Earth, why not the reverse? And if that little chunk of rock happened to have some life on it (although the chances would be pretty slim) then maybe life from Earth had a very small chance of living for a short while on Mars before it died.

Rover detects levels of O2 in atmosphere...........water on surface or moss etc etc

Has to be something empirical if the Rover's insturments have detected something......

PDUK

I think they have found the on switch. I just hope Curiosity has big enough robot arm to flip the SOB! LoL

nasa with upcoming budget concerns needs this type of "PR"


as to this manufactured state of mystery/suspense
just how important is it to the common man who bears this burden "nasa"

due to quote-unquote national security interests only certain information is allowed to be made public knowledge

i find more excitement in the mystery of things they won't disclose to us anymore...sad but true but in a way they've marketed it to be this way

maybe a citizens probe mission into these facts are the future of nasa i can be excited about

so yeah...a scooby snack is forth coming lord knows they wouldn't want scooby to die
no need to hump a leg i say

we found elements/compound or a biological existence 50 quadzillion light decades away so please excuse why we airbrush in such poor manner such proofs to believe in and
send your check as always

reply to post by DJW001


Probably just this story

Mars Formed from Similar Building Blocks to That of Earth, Reveals Study of Martian Meteorites ScienceDaily (Nov. 19, 2012)

www.sciencedaily.com...

Well, once again NASA has intrigued me. I hope this is going to be a big announcement. I was reading all the posts and I started wondering. Do you guys think that even in it is microbial life, they would enact the Brookings Report's "suggestions"? I was thinking even if they found microbial life, they still might not even tell us. What do you guys think?


p.s. I am new here and I love ATS! You guys and gals are awesome!