Curiosity rover's Mars landing site was once covered with fast-moving water, NASA says

Curiosity rover's Mars landing site was once covered with fast-moving water, NASA says

www.washingtonpost.com

PASADENA, Calif. — The landing site of the Mars rover Curiosity was once covered with fast-moving and possibly waist-high water that could have possibly supported life, NASA scientists announced Thursday.

Curiosity team scientists determined that flowing water was once present near the Gale Crater landing site based on the telltale size, shape and scattering of pebbles and gravel nearby.

(visit the link for the full news article)

Its not totally new story.

I think it was determind a couple of years ago that there was probably water on Mars at one time.

Pictures coming from the rover are now providing more proof that Mars did have water flowing on its surface.

The pebbles the rover is taking pictures of display signs that they were once covered and carried along in water.



www.washingtonpost.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

www.bbc.co.uk...

nice pics.

Most people who are into this know that there was fast running water there, just nice to see proper proof and some great pics.

pics from another planet!!

that blows me away everytime

Anyone remember this pic from another thread? Its the wheel of the rover.
People said it looked like water and many said "Impossible"

Water on Mars?

Water means life- carbon based life yes?


I smell OIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Nice one - Thanks

www.bbc.co.uk...

Here's some more info.

Originally posted by lacrimaererum

Curiosity rover's Mars landing site was once covered with fast-moving water, NASA says

www.washingtonpost.com

PASADENA, Calif. — The landing site of the Mars rover Curiosity was once covered with fast-moving and possibly waist-high water that could have possibly supported life, NASA scientists announced Thursday.

Curiosity team scientists determined that flowing water was once present near the Gale Crater landing site based on the telltale size, shape and scattering of pebbles and gravel nearby.

(visit the link for the full news article)

While I am not disputing that water in some form existed on Mars..... how exactly would the pebbles and gravel remained intact when Mars is known to have pretty violent windstorms? I would imagine that those kind of winds would stir up such small debris, unless the water flow was very recent.

so the question is, where'd it all go? How does a planet go from having running water, long enough to cause erosion to nothing?

Originally posted by BalderAsir
so the question is, where'd it all go? How does a planet go from having running water, long enough to cause erosion to nothing?

Same as it's atmosphere.... ripped away bit by bit by the solar wind due to lack of a real magnetic field.

The question is, how long was there liquid water on Mars? From what I remember reading a while ago, Mars had a period of volcanic activity which helped in making the atmosphere more dense. This sparked a period of vapor, rain, and water flowing on Mars.

Then, when the volcanic activity died down and being smaller than Earth, Mars cooled faster and the atmosphere thinned out again. With the thinner atmosphere, all the liquid water disappeared. Not really disappeared, but transformed to ice, etc.

Is this correct? If it is, then I'm ignorant on whether the period of liquid water would have been long enough for significant live to develop. Just wondering...

reply to post by DiabolusFireDragon


From what I remember reading, there was enough time with liquid water for the possibility of simple lifeforms evolving. It was a long process of Mars getting it's atmosphere stripped down, Millions of years I would speculate if not Billions. Some of the water got blown away with the atmosphere, but a good chunk of it probably is locked down in the Martian sub soil....similar to the permafrost that we have in the Arctic regions here on Earth. I could be wrong on this, but that is the gist of what I recall from various readings of things.

reply to post by pavil


Thanks. Definitely does leave a lot more to explore and learn about Mars.

Curiosity has lots of work to do. Should be fun keeping up and looking forward to future exploration missions.

reply to post by VoidHawk

Curiosity rover's Mars landing site

was once

covered with fast-moving water, NASA says

lol...

I find it hilarious... yet not surprising in the LEAST... that you got as many stars as you did.

I will never understand the appeal of a thick skull.

Originally posted by BalderAsir
so the question is, where'd it all go? How does a planet go from having running water, long enough to cause erosion to nothing?

A lot of people I know believe that it was a global cataclysm that caused Mars to be a "dead planet". If you look at the picture below you'll notice a huge impact scar on or around the equator. Many people believe that something must have collided or hit Mars and caused it to lose it's atmosphere and turned it into the bone dry rock it is today.

Mars Scar

I have always known in my bones Mars was once alive and this is a stepping stone in proving it. I also am of the opinion that this announcement is all part of Cosmic Journey 2.0 . If you want to know what I mean by that then read Ailen Liason by Timothy Good. Dont be surprised if the next announcement is the find of a simple microbacterial blob. Exciting times ahead folks.

I love the pics coming from the rover, they are so clear!

The evidence continues to mount as to the nature of Mars wet past. Streams, rivers, oceans...life? its so frustrating, its as if our solar system was designed to keep us guessing. If Mars had plants or some other life clearly about we could answer so many vexing questions. I envy the lifeforms in solar systems where more then one world has life readily apparent. Of course it would have its own set of issues though...

Originally posted by CombatBoots
reply to post by VoidHawk

 

Curiosity rover's Mars landing site

was once

covered with fast-moving water, NASA says

lol...

I find it hilarious... yet not surprising in the LEAST... that you got as many stars as you did.

I will never understand the appeal of a thick skull.

edit on 28-9-2012 by CombatBoots because: (no reason given)

What is the point of this post? Am I missing something, or is this really just some new poster posting a non-sensical comment belittling the OP for sharing this?

Mars once had life I know it!!!

Originally posted by dogstar23

Originally posted by CombatBoots
reply to post by VoidHawk

 

Curiosity rover's Mars landing site

was once

covered with fast-moving water, NASA says

lol...

I find it hilarious... yet not surprising in the LEAST... that you got as many stars as you did.

I will never understand the appeal of a thick skull.

edit on 28-9-2012 by CombatBoots because: (no reason given)

What is the point of this post? Am I missing something, or is this really just some new poster posting a non-sensical comment belittling the OP for sharing this?

I just looked at his last five posts. All negative to the OP.
Here's one of his posts.
"I have a few people who immigrated from Iran in my class. Needless to say, we as a proud people treat them with complete disregard and utter contempt!"