Mars Water Surprise in Curiosity Rover Soil Samples

In a report published In this months Science Magazine Curiosity rover scientists say they've found evidence from their Sam instrument that Martian dirt has a surprising amount of water bound up in it and this may be good news for future astronauts .

Surely it must be good news for those like myself who believe life exist on Mars today

"If you think about a cubic foot of this dirt and you just heat it a little bit - a few hundred degrees - you'll actually get off about two pints of water - like two water bottles you'd take to the gym," Dr Leshin explained.

"And this dirt on Mars is interesting because it seems to be about the same everywhere you go. If you are a human explorer, this is really good news because you can quite easily extract water from almost anywhere."
www.bbc.co.uk...

If you are a subscriber to Science Magazine you can read the full report at the link bellow

Samples from the Rocknest aeolian deposit were heated to ~835°C under helium flow and evolved gases analyzed by Curiosity’s Sample Analysis at Mars instrument suite. H2O, SO2, CO2, and O2 were the major gases released. Water abundance (1.5 to 3 weight percent) and release temperature suggest that H2O is bound within an amorphous component of the sample. Decomposition of fine-grained Fe or Mg carbonate is the likely source of much of the evolved CO2. Evolved O2 is coincident with the release of Cl, suggesting that oxygen is produced from thermal decomposition of an oxychloride compound. Elevated δD values are consistent with recent atmospheric exchange. Carbon isotopes indicate multiple carbon sources in the fines. Several simple organic compounds were detected, but they are not definitively martian in origin.
www.sciencemag.org...

This is amazing, I believe in my lifetime there will be Martian colonies. Some day we will have two worlds.

I bet there are vast pockets of water underground as well

hknudzkknexnt
This is amazing, I believe in my lifetime there will be Martian colonies. Some day we will have two worlds.

I believe your right,
sadly the way we are treating our current world its also likely in our lifetime we will 2 for a very short while then only have the one.
Thats hope they get there and get established before we totally screw this place up

Guyz don't know about you... but I am seriously bored with these Scientists announcing every 6 months OMG WATER ON MARS/MOON... then take a pause, then an article comes arround telling us how there is no water at all and then after another 7-8 months OMG WATER ON MARS/MOON...

MAKE UP YOUR MINDS ALREADY!

AND SEND HUMANS THERE...

AND STOP SPENDING MONEY FOR WARS AND BUILT A STAR FLEET IDIOTS...


sorry for that runt.. had to take it out somehow somewhere...

back to normal.

Alda1981
Guyz don't know about you... but I am seriously bored with these Scientists announcing every 6 months OMG WATER ON MARS/MOON... then take a pause, then an article comes arround telling us how there is no water at all and then after another 7-8 months OMG WATER ON MARS/MOON...

MAKE UP YOUR MINDS ALREADY!

AND SEND HUMANS THERE...

AND STOP SPENDING MONEY FOR WARS AND BUILT A STAR FLEET IDIOTS...


sorry for that runt.. had to take it out somehow somewhere...

back to normal.

I agree. We've had enough evidence 5 years ago that there is water on Mars. They keep sending these stupid rovers that "re-confirm" the same crap over and over again. They haven't even sent a rover/probe with the right kind of sensors to detect life! Find life first, then worry about the damn water!

We already found traces of what might be life back during the Viking landings anyway.

If there's anything I've learned observing and working in the oil industry...ANYTHING is possible if you throw enough money at it. The level of engineering and technology required to live in the arctic of Alaska, and pipe all that oil over a thousand miles is astounding. The living spaces and habitats are nothing short of what you'd see on Mars.

I think that the people making the decisions just don't want to go there. One theory is that we already have a presence there.

Interesting to see how this further plays out. Wonder how if even it will affect the upcoming Mars One plan.

Since when curiosity can bring sample from mars to earth???
In my thread they say it cant only picture! Now we have clear what this thing up to on mars, capture ISON smple!! Before closing earth!

And they tell us NOW?...for how long are they on the Martian surface? Like a decade ?

But it is great for future manned missions . It makes it easier to build outposts for very long periods.
Although I think that you will have a long time to recover when you come back to earth because of its gravity..

reply to post by cheesy


It does the experiments on the surface and sends the data back , its real name is the Mars Science Laboratory , because its a mobile Laboratory on Mars

gortex
reply to post by cheesy

 

It does the experiments on the surface and sends the data back , its real name is the Mars Science Laboratory , because its a mobile Laboratory on Mars

edit on 26-9-2013 by gortex because: (no reason given)

Yes i believe you sir, if thats a mobile laboratory so it also can research comet ison fragmen right? Thats i think why this machine stay for long way there..it wait for ison..

Alda1981
Guyz don't know about you... but I am seriously bored with these Scientists announcing every 6 months OMG WATER ON MARS/MOON... then take a pause, then an article comes arround telling us how there is no water at all and then after another 7-8 months OMG WATER ON MARS/MOON...

They haven't said "There is no water at all" (at least not for many many years). Mars researchers have been pretty well convinced about sub-surface H2O for some time now, and have not recanted that. I'm not sure where you heard that there is no water at all, but it wasn't from the people running the current Mars exploration programs.

I mean, they saw water ice evaporate (sublimate, to be exact) when the Phoenix lander dug that trench, and they had other evidence well before that.

Below is an article from over 10 years ago about H2O just beneath the exposed surface is pretty much the party-line that Mars researchers have been stating since at least that time:

Instruments on board NASA's Mars Odyssey spacecraft have revealed more underground ice on the Red Planet than scientists expected.

reply to post by gortex


I bet the truth is more like this. That rover is actually in area 51. The operates might not all know that. One realized there was that water build up. The leaked the story. But the water was either rainfall or condensation building up since the rover is here.

There's an Xprize to get a rover on the moon. Now think about that, we can get a rover to mars but there's no need to send one to the moon? Does that make sense to you? The you-es didn't send one to the moon for fear that it would expose there fake lunar landing.

Now if this whole rover to the moon xprize gets cancelled for some unknown reason don't say I didn't warn you. After such a massive lie, to send anything to the moon now would be very risky. Because they would quickly find out that there's not a trace of any landing area.

Alda1981
Guyz don't know about you... but I am seriously bored with these Scientists announcing every 6 months OMG WATER ON MARS/MOON... then take a pause, then an article comes arround telling us how there is no water at all and then after another 7-8 months OMG WATER ON MARS/MOON...

MAKE UP YOUR MINDS ALREADY!

AND SEND HUMANS THERE...

AND STOP SPENDING MONEY FOR WARS AND BUILT A STAR FLEET IDIOTS...


sorry for that runt.. had to take it out somehow somewhere...

back to normal.

No, perhaps the change should come from the understanding of what is being said.

Currently, there is ice, water vapour, moisture in the soil that requires 800c temperatures to extract it, and evidence of a history of flowing water millions of years ago. There is debate about the possibilty of water flowing during the hottest times of the year on the planet, in areas where it may be trapped at other times.

There *IS* dihydrogen monoxide on that planet. BUT there is no evidence of bodies of water, flowing water, drinking water. Any water on there would have to be processed in order to be usable.

That is what is reiterated.

So a news article reads "moisture in the soil on mars. Like, when you go to the gym, two bottles a pop!! yahoo!" and people go "Water on Mars? I bet there are elephants too!" and then science says "No, there's no elephants, and no flowing water."

And you go "Make your minds up!!!!! I want elephants!"

and... we orbit the continuum of illogical outcomes based on erroneous facts stemming from intimate details of other worldly environments.

MystikMushroom

Alda1981
Guyz don't know about you... but I am seriously bored with these Scientists announcing every 6 months OMG WATER ON MARS/MOON... then take a pause, then an article comes arround telling us how there is no water at all and then after another 7-8 months OMG WATER ON MARS/MOON...

MAKE UP YOUR MINDS ALREADY!

AND SEND HUMANS THERE...

AND STOP SPENDING MONEY FOR WARS AND BUILT A STAR FLEET IDIOTS...


sorry for that runt.. had to take it out somehow somewhere...

back to normal.

I agree. We've had enough evidence 5 years ago that there is water on Mars. They keep sending these stupid rovers that "re-confirm" the same crap over and over again. They haven't even sent a rover/probe with the right kind of sensors to detect life! Find life first, then worry about the damn water!

Wouldn't it be a real kicker if they found life, but then absolutely no water?

That would really throw a spanner into the works. oO

You're making a kite before you know if there is any wind to carry it. You need the wind to make the kite fly. Or it's just a pretty balsa wood & creche paper doily. Possibly a dream catcher...

There is water on earth. How long would someone last on the sahara in a space capsule?

dreamingawake
Interesting to see how this further plays out. Wonder how if even it will affect the upcoming Mars One plan.

If that does indeed take off and does actually make it, it would be tremendous in the potential for continued success.

It means that they can produce drinkable water, water to maintain habitats for growing food, etc. It's not a case that they can throw apple seeds into the ground and wait, they'd need the resources to produce the water, but if the articles are correct and it appears that the moisture is reasonably consistent, it's definitely a good thing.

And it does even open the possibility for microbial life under the surface.

For all we know there may even be an intricate form of interconnected life under the surface, much like fungus on earth can appear as small little bulbs on the surface, but under the surface they can be kilometres wide, and one large life.

Without knowing one way or the other, that sort of things can potentially be. And we're only ever focusing on the surface. There may be deep caverns full of flowing water, full of thriving life.

Possibilities. But no evidence. Can't have evidence without looking. And we're looking. Scary that some people are saying "stop looking and just go!" ... nothing good comes from jumping over a cliffs edge to see how far the drop is.

reply to post by cheesy


It can't. It's not.

It's taking a sample with it's own instruments, and sending the information back.

Like I just replied to you. I didn't actually visit you to reply. I just sat here, hit reply, typed a bunch, and hit send.

That's all it's doing. It has the machines on it to analyse the soil.

0bserver1
And they tell us NOW?...for how long are they on the Martian surface? Like a decade ?

But it is great for future manned missions . It makes it easier to build outposts for very long periods.
Although I think that you will have a long time to recover when you come back to earth because of its gravity..

edit on 26-9-2013 by 0bserver1 because: (no reason given)

I know rite.. I mean they've had telescopes for a logn time too.

Why cant they just see the moisture in the soil using a telescope.

Stupid nasa.

reply to post by spartacus699


*pats sparty on head*

Good lad. Put that down now, and go put your toys away.

almost dinner time. We're having pizza and you can have 2 slices.

reply to post by winofiend


yeah some members here pointed out on photo's taken by Nasa that they saw water.. But they have to sniff and sneeze before they really know what their seeing . I would say one picture says 1000 words?
but hey... whoam I, just a packet on the net!

reply to post by gortex

Great OP, gortex!

Surely it must be good news for those like myself who believe life exist on Mars today

Ok. Dish. Why do you think life is currently on Mars? I'd love to hear your theory. With all that water, it certainly is plausible!

peace,
AB