Welcome to the MacNN Forums.

If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

You are here: MacNN Forums > Community > MacNN Lounge > Mars curious... What have they found?!!!

Mars curious... What have they found?!!!
Thread Tools
design219
Professional Poster
Join Date: Oct 2004
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 21, 2012, 05:45 PM
 
So they are saying this discovery is "one for the history books." But they won't say what it is until sometime in December.

So, does this sound like scientific hyperbole, or maybe their idea of a big find is not exactly what the average person would consider big? What are the possibilities... carbon?

http://www.npr.org/2012/11/20/165513016/big-news-from-mars-rover-scientists-mum-for-now
__________________________________________________

My stupid iPhone game: Nesen Probe, it's rather old, annoying and pointless, but it's free.
Was free. Now it's gone. Never to be seen again.
Off to join its brother and sister apps that could not
keep up with the ever updating iOS. RIP Nesen Probe.
     
subego
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Chicago, Bang! Bang!
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 21, 2012, 05:54 PM
 
"Mars questioning" is the PC term now.
     
turtle777
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: planning a comeback !
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 21, 2012, 07:24 PM
 
They found an empty coke can.

-t
     
reader50
Administrator
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: California
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 21, 2012, 10:22 PM
 
According to NPR, it concerns a soil sample placed in the SAM module. SAM does gas analysis. Either from atmosphere, or given off by a heated sample. The analysis looks for elements, molecules, and isotope ratios. SAM seems to be optimized for analyzing organic (carbon-containing) molecules.

So it's most likely found a chemical only created by life. Or an isotope ratio favoring lighter isotopes than Mars ambient ratios. Life tends to favor the lightest isotope of an element.

Finding chemicals useful for future settlement (U235, gold, bauxite, etc) would be most interesting. But not big enough "for the history books".

Note: finding significant technetium in a sample would also qualify.
     
BadKosh
Professional Poster
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Just west of DC.
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 22, 2012, 02:09 AM
 
I think they found a pot seed.
     
osiris
Addicted to MacNN
Join Date: Sep 2000
Location: Isle of Manhattan
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 22, 2012, 03:29 AM
 
They found the remains of Jimmy Hoffa?
Now we can finally bury that cliche.

But perhaps they discovered organic compounds - this recent interview talks about SAM and the search.
http://www.space.com/17526-mars-rove...interview.html
"Faster, faster! 'Till the thrill of speed overcomes the fear of death." - HST
     
P
Moderator
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: Gothenburg, Sweden
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 22, 2012, 04:32 AM
 
I think it almost has to be organic. As said, it mainly analyzes gases and no metals are in gas form at that temperature (I seriously doubt that they try to heat anything up). I would guess that it is either complex organic molecules (in which case I would guess that they have traveled from Earth on an asteroid, thereby lending some credence to the panspermia reasoning), some simpler molecule that would be very useful if anyone tries to live there, or telltale signs of a different environment earlier in the development of the solar system. I don't think He3 deposits qualify, although that would be interesting in a longer perspective.
The new Mac Pro has up to 30 MB of cache inside the processor itself. That's more than the HD in my first Mac. Somehow I'm still running out of space.
     
Spheric Harlot
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: 888500128, C3, 2nd soft.
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 22, 2012, 06:01 AM
 
     
raleur
Dedicated MacNNer
Join Date: Oct 2012
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 23, 2012, 05:22 PM
 
Several hundred ballot boxes from Pennsylvania and Ohio.

And Florida. And Nevada. And Iowa.

But seriously, remember the flak around the 1996 announcement? I think they're being a little more careful this time around.
     
lpkmckenna
Addicted to MacNN
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Toronto
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 23, 2012, 05:40 PM
 
We are all Martians. You heard it here first.
     
subego
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: Chicago, Bang! Bang!
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 23, 2012, 05:45 PM
 
Hey buddy... I'm American.
     
ort888
Addicted to MacNN
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: Your Anus
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 24, 2012, 05:01 AM
 
Half buried statue of liberty.

My sig is 1 pixel too big.
     
Spheric Harlot
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Nov 1999
Location: 888500128, C3, 2nd soft.
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 24, 2012, 05:02 AM
 
     
Shaddim
Clinically Insane
Join Date: Apr 2003
Location: 46 & 2
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 24, 2012, 10:25 AM
 
"Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it."
- Thomas Paine
     
giovatas
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Join Date: Nov 2012
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 29, 2012, 01:05 PM
 
They found Elvis!
     
knifecarrier2
Baninated
Join Date: Mar 2012
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 29, 2012, 01:30 PM
 
Originally Posted by lpkmckenna View Post
We are all Martians. You heard it here first.
That would be pretty wild. But unfortunately evolution kinda says that probably isn't the case. :|
     
P
Moderator
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: Gothenburg, Sweden
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Nov 30, 2012, 06:01 AM
 
Originally Posted by knifecarrier2 View Post
That would be pretty wild. But unfortunately evolution kinda says that probably isn't the case. :|
Strictly speaking evolution doesn't talk about the origin of life, only about how life has evolved and changed into different species
The new Mac Pro has up to 30 MB of cache inside the processor itself. That's more than the HD in my first Mac. Somehow I'm still running out of space.
     
design219  (op)
Professional Poster
Join Date: Oct 2004
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Dec 3, 2012, 02:31 PM
 
Possible "orgainics" found.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/03/organics-on-mars-curiosity-rover_n_2232436.html?ncid=edlinkusaolp00000009
__________________________________________________

My stupid iPhone game: Nesen Probe, it's rather old, annoying and pointless, but it's free.
Was free. Now it's gone. Never to be seen again.
Off to join its brother and sister apps that could not
keep up with the ever updating iOS. RIP Nesen Probe.
     
P
Moderator
Join Date: Apr 2000
Location: Gothenburg, Sweden
Status: Offline
Reply With Quote
Dec 4, 2012, 05:05 AM
 
HuffPost: "A team of scientists announced on Monday that the Mars Rover Curiosity had found evidence of organic compounds on the Red Planet."

NASA press release that HuffPost links to: "We have no definitive detection of Martian organics at this point, but we will keep looking in the diverse environments of Gale Crater," said SAM Principal Investigator Paul Mahaffy of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md.



It may be that whatever peon wrote the HuffPost piece read this part:

"Reactions with other chemicals heated in SAM formed chlorinated methane compounds -- one-carbon organics that were detected by the instrument. "

and didn't understand that those organics were generated in the lab.
The new Mac Pro has up to 30 MB of cache inside the processor itself. That's more than the HD in my first Mac. Somehow I'm still running out of space.
     
   
Thread Tools
 
Forum Links
Forum Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Top
Privacy Policy
All times are GMT -4. The time now is 04:20 PM.
All contents of these forums © 1995-2017 MacNN. All rights reserved.
Branding + Design: www.gesamtbild.com
vBulletin v.3.8.8 © 2000-2017, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.,