Comments on: Evidence of water ice on mars.

Evidence of water ice on mars.

elpapacito — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 18:40:31 -0800

NASA Phoenix probe finds evidence of frozen water on Mars

By: GuyZero

GuyZero — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 18:49:27 -0800

Hot. My nipples are literally tingling here. Now if somebody would blow up Phoenix so we can justify going to Mars as part of the Homeland Security budget we're set.

By: hal9k

hal9k — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 18:56:53 -0800

NASA webmaster discovers magic of animated gifs.

By: Ironmouth

Ironmouth — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 18:57:44 -0800

Love me my space probes.

By: Shakeer

Shakeer — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 19:00:41 -0800

IT'S A TRANSFORMER

By: danb

danb — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 19:01:07 -0800

Is it weird that I was kind of hoping for a single-link Twitter post?

By: BeerFilter

BeerFilter — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 19:01:08 -0800

I get nervous when I flash the firmware on my dvd burner. Can you imagine patching software on another planet?

By: yhbc

yhbc — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 19:02:25 -0800

I'm sorry; didn't we already know there was liquid water on Mars? Where are the little green men. WAKE ME WHEN YOU HAVE THE LITTLE GREEN MEN.

By: Dave Faris

Dave Faris — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 19:03:11 -0800

How can they be sure that Martians aren't little hermit crabs who just scurried away between shots?

By: Justinian

Justinian — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 19:04:12 -0800

I'm sorry; didn't we already know there was liquid water on Mars? Nope. Besides, we didn't find liquid water. We found ice. You know, solid water.

By: inigo2

inigo2 — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 19:05:28 -0800

How can they be sure that Martians aren't little hermit crabs who just scurried away between shots? If that's the case, and they decide to attack, unfortunately I know from experience that me and my college roommate could take them all down. We called him Leo...poor guy...

By: loquacious

loquacious — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 19:06:19 -0800

Yeah, but is it Ice-1 or Ice-9?

By: cashman

cashman — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 19:09:33 -0800

Okay, I'm pretty excited here.

By: peewinkle

peewinkle — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 19:10:38 -0800

*sighs* I was going to make a nice multi-youtube link with Vanilla Ice, The Mr Cool Ice guy and the Foreigner song 'Cold As Ice, " ending with Ice on Mars.

By: CynicalKnight

CynicalKnight — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 19:11:35 -0800

We found ice. You know, solid water I thought those telescopic photographs of Mars with that big white blob on the north pole were sufficient evidence of ice? Well, I suppose just-below-surface ice is more stable and reliable as a resource for future human habitation, and thus a more spectacular find. But still. I do love me some mars probes too!

By: Science!

Science! — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 19:14:25 -0800

loquacious: "Yeah, but is it Ice-1 or Ice-9?" It's Ice-T. How do they know this ain't dry ice (CO2) sublimating just like it does here on earth?

By: Justinian

Justinian — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 19:16:13 -0800

I thought those telescopic photographs of Mars with that big white blob on the north pole were sufficient evidence of ice? I was going to say that it was unclear if it was water ice or carbon dioxide, but a quick googling suggests they determined it was predominately water ice at the south pole sometime last year. Huh. I haven't been keepin' up.

By: FelliniBlank

FelliniBlank — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 19:16:24 -0800

WAKE ME WHEN YOU HAVE THE LITTLE GREEN MEN. I'm not sure that's such a good idea.

By: maxwelton

maxwelton — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 19:17:09 -0800

big white blob on the north pole I think that is dry ice, CO₂.

By: furtive

furtive — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 19:20:28 -0800

Couldn't the "ice" have been CO₂ or ammonium or something else? Aren't the canals "evidence of water" already? When are we going to find an ice cube, crystal or drop for pete's sake?

By: Durn Bronzefist

Durn Bronzefist — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 19:21:45 -0800

Is this a melting point thing? Because yeah, my first thought is: ok, maybe it's ice, but how can you say it is frozen water?

By: grabbingsand

grabbingsand — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 19:22:09 -0800

... he team is taking the precaution of not storing science data in Phoenix's flash memory, and instead downlinking it at the end of every day ... Two Questions: 1. How much flash memory does Phoenix have? 2. How long does such a down~~load~~link take?

By: Guy Smiley

Guy Smiley — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 19:22:09 -0800

It just occurred to me: since it sublimates on Mars, water ice is dry ice!

By: WC_Helmets

WC_Helmets — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 19:25:23 -0800

YES!!!! High Five!!!

By: DenOfSizer

DenOfSizer — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 19:38:40 -0800

Fine and dandy, but they still haven't found olives.

By: stavrogin

stavrogin — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 19:42:03 -0800

Dodo-Goldilocks, Snow White 1, Snow White 2. Apparently, inside every astrophysicist beats the heart of a six year old girl.

By: spiderwire

spiderwire — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 19:42:46 -0800

Now if somebody would blow up Phoenix so we can justify going to Mars as part of the Homeland Security budget we're set. Think about it for a second; the next step is to invade Mars so we can secure their precious water reserves.

By: RobotVoodooPower

RobotVoodooPower — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 19:43:44 -0800

Yeah, will the planetary geologists please speak up? Can this be confirmed solely on visual evidence?

By: stbalbach

stbalbach — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 19:47:44 -0800

I don't think they have detected anything, other than observe a white patch disappear (evaporate) after being exposed to air for a few days, which they assume must be water since salt wouldn't do that. Still seems like room for question, albeit small.

By: ryanrs

ryanrs — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 19:48:00 -0800

since it sublimates on Mars, water ice is dry ice! What, water isn't wet on other planets? Water ice sublimes on earth, too.

By: RobotVoodooPower

RobotVoodooPower — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 19:50:13 -0800

Never mind, I found the answer on Fark. For shame!

By: spiderwire

spiderwire — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 19:50:28 -0800

I don't think they have detected anything, other than observe a white patch disappear (evaporate) after being exposed to air for a few days So what you're saying is that it's actually a mobile biological weapons lab? Oh shit

By: goodnewsfortheinsane

goodnewsfortheinsane — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 19:52:41 -0800

*cues sample of Under Pressure intro just for the heck of it* If this is true then it's very exciting. Even: woot! Do we still say "woot!"? If not, I'd like to resurrect it for this occasion. Woot!

By: Divine_Wino

Divine_Wino — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 19:58:23 -0800

Yeah make your jokes, but still it moves, good work science and engineering and human ingenuity.

By: Kronos_to_Earth

Kronos_to_Earth — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 19:59:00 -0800

Very good news indeed. For a while it seemed the lander was surrounded by ice and touched down in that one place....

By: amyms

amyms — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 20:06:49 -0800

Dice-size crumbs of bright material have vanished from inside a trench where they were photographed by NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander four days ago Maybe the Martian Yahtzee players were done with their game and went home?

By: Krrrlson

Krrrlson — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 20:09:35 -0800

GET YOUR ASS TO MARS!

By: Brandon Blatcher

Brandon Blatcher — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 20:20:35 -0800

Dice-size crumbs of bright material have vanished from inside a trench where they were photographed by NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander four days ago Wait, so it wasn't the fancy instruments, but nature? God must be shaking his head and laughing. "Last time I use carbon to make a life form, they always come out retarded."

By: Justinian

Justinian — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 20:25:29 -0800

For what it is worth: The reason we know it wasn't C02 ice that sublimated instead of water ice, the temperature is too high for dry ice. Dry ice sublimates at something like -79C and the daytime temperature around Phoenix is a balmy -26c. So any dry ice at this region would have already sublimated. Daytime temperatures of -26! I could walk around with nothing but a coat and hat! For at least one minute until I couldn't hold my breath any longer and died!

By: saulgoodman

saulgoodman — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 20:27:06 -0800

wait--i just felt something i haven't felt in a long, long time. not even sure what it's called anymore, actually... was that--my god! was that a rush of cynicism-free enthusiasm i felt for a second there?

By: Justinian

Justinian — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 20:27:50 -0800

saulgoodman: probably just some gas. It should go away in a minute.

By: strangeleftydoublethink

strangeleftydoublethink — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 20:29:56 -0800

So now can I keep the water running while brushing my teeth?

By: Bighappyfunhouse

Bighappyfunhouse — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 20:30:52 -0800

For sale - martianice.com. Contact info in profile. (this is what happens when you register domains after too many Heineken's)

By: zardoz

zardoz — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 20:31:24 -0800

This is huge.

By: netbros

netbros — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 20:38:39 -0800

Now to figure out how to move the Mars orbit 55 million kilometers closer to the Sun.

By: tellurian

tellurian — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 20:41:41 -0800

2. How long does such a down~~load~~link take? grabbingsand - You may be interested in this interview with Dianna Blainey at SGU. She talks a fair bit about the communication restrictions they have with Phoenix.

By: TheOnlyCoolTim

TheOnlyCoolTim — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 20:43:00 -0800

Fine and dandy, but they still haven't found olives. Fuck that, let me know when they find the single malt Scotch whisky.

By: malaprohibita

malaprohibita — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 21:03:27 -0800

This is Just to Say I have drunk the water that was under your soil and which you were probably saving for ambiogenesis. Forgive me it was delicious so Martian and so cold.

By: TheOnlyCoolTim

TheOnlyCoolTim — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 21:07:34 -0800

This is Just to Say William Carlos Williams (PBUH) is probably fucking tired of everyone jacking his poem.

By: tellurian

tellurian — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 22:05:22 -0800

Not soil, regolith.

By: lukemeister

lukemeister — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 22:05:52 -0800

saulgoodman, You really need to nip that enthusiasm in the bud if you want to remain one of the cool kids.

By: fallingbadgers

fallingbadgers — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 22:26:45 -0800

And they laughed when I said that the canals on Mars were full of Scotch! So, who's laughing now!? Anyone...

By: Cranberry

Cranberry — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 22:33:08 -0800

When they remake The Honeymooners, will Ralph Kramden threaten Alice with a one-way tip to Mars?

By: Cranberry

Cranberry — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 22:33:27 -0800

tip = trip

By: Citizen Premier

Citizen Premier — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 22:34:36 -0800

Well if it evaporates eventually it has to precipitate, right? So there's some sort of hydrological cycle taking place on Mars, but at a fraction of the speed of Earth's. I don't think we're going to find life--I don't think life can exist without being obvious--but hey, this makes terraforming sound a little easier.

By: troybob

troybob — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 22:40:33 -0800

I refuse to believe this until Colin Powell announces it to the UN.

By: Avenger

Avenger — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 22:59:47 -0800

I don't think life can exist without being obvious *cough*

By: Avenger

Avenger — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 23:06:59 -0800

Also, see this and this.

By: ZachsMind

ZachsMind — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 23:07:08 -0800

SaulGoodman: "was that a rush of cynicism-free enthusiasm i felt for a second there?" Better you than me, pal. I plan to remain cynical and unenthusiastic long after we've colonized Mars and started mining Jupiter for fuel. Why is that you say? cuz I still won't have my flying car, dammit!

By: Fuzzy Skinner

Fuzzy Skinner — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 23:08:09 -0800

The real question is, how much will it cost to bottle it and distribute it to 7-11 stores? "Whatcha got there? Evian? Fiji? Cool. Yeah, this? MarsWater."

By: jimmythefish

jimmythefish — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 00:53:11 -0800

Well if it evaporates eventually it has to precipitate, right? Not necessarily. It's highly possible that water doesn't cycle there at all any more and it's just sitting below the surface until alien craft/meterorites/yahtzee players disturb the surface. One lander disturbing the soil's water will hardly constitute enough vapour in the atmosphere to ever oversaturate and precipitate. What we did there is just make a bit more atmosphere.

By: ZachsMind

ZachsMind — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 01:31:55 -0800

"What we did there is just make a bit more atmosphere." And of course the theory is if we did that a whole lot more, then we could actually make a lot more atmosphere and Mars would one day be habitable. That is, provided there's already enough ice there to someday make an atmosphere. Or we could just fuck up Mars and leave it a bigger mess than when we arrived. Y'know we left a car on the moon. Left the keys in the ignition and everything. And golf balls! We just went up there and littered. That's humanity for you. When we send men and women to Mars, we're gonna need more than a couple tin cans on the surface for people to live on. They're gonna have to actually have air to breathe and plants to pee on and animals to kill. Otherwise, why leave home, huh? What? You think we could ever build a Mars colony that would exist totally inside artificially created constructs? Didn't any of you see Bio-Dome? Oh that's right. It was only me and twelve other people, three of which ended up in intensive care and five are still being kept under sedation in psychiatric wards. *twitch* However I survived Bio-Dome completely unscathed! Anyway. We can't pull off the International Space Station without looking like a bunch of retards. If we coulda done the colony inside an artificial edifice thing, we woulda done that by now on the Moon. What makes you think we can colonize Mars with a hamster trail? Mars is gonna need its own atmosphere before we can turn it into a tourist trap. That'll take water. Lots of it. Then we gotta figure out how to keep it warm enough long enough to stabilize the planet and make it habitable. That'll probably involve solar power enhancers of some sort. We'll get the eggheads to hammer out the details but that shouldn't be a problem. Or as someone suggested earlier, we could find a way to change the orbit of Mars so that it's brought a little closer to the sun, into what is called "The Ecosphere" or the Sweet Spot from the sun that's most conducive to carbon based life forms. If we don't find enough water on Mars, the jig is up... UNLESS we can convince the company that currently owns "Perrier" to sponsor the next few unmanned probes. With global warming causing sea levels to rise, Earth's suddenly going to have a lot more water. Perhaps we can export it to Mars. Or we could redouble our efforts to fix this planet of it's ills...? Oh who am I kidding, right? LET'S FUCK UP MARS! FOR SCIENCE! and cuz it's there! and ...stuff!

By: nfg

nfg — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 02:57:20 -0800

Obligatory: Coke-Sponsored Rover Finds Evidence Of Dasani On Mars

By: Samizdata

Samizdata — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 03:07:11 -0800

Mmmmmmmmmm. Can't wait until I can bust out a tasty, platinum coated, diamond encrusted MarsPuretm water in front of all my friends. (And, ummmmm, ZachsMind - Make that 15 people. I thank my ex-wife for that one. Now, if you'll excuse, I need to get back to plastering all the 90 degree angles in my room before the Hounds find me...)

By: DU

DU — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 04:09:23 -0800

I saw this elsewhere but didn't believe it so I went to CNN. Nothing. I knew MeFi would have a link.

By: Mintyblonde

Mintyblonde — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 04:15:32 -0800

Bowie knows.

By: chuckdarwin

chuckdarwin — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 04:48:34 -0800

Another bunch of links/photos/etc. Pardon my silliness. Shouldn't post when I'm busy.

By: stbalbach

stbalbach — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 05:01:30 -0800

This is huge. Why? Not doubting, just wondering what the implications are, and how it compares with what we already knew. Didn't we already know there was ice water on Mars?

By: DU

DU — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 05:19:08 -0800

just wondering what the implications are Life.

By: DU

DU — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 05:52:22 -0800

Evidence for the existence of frozen cannonballs on Earth

By: _dario

_dario — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 05:57:00 -0800

If you think this is good news, what about the fact that said ice was detected in a mixture of 3 parts gin, 1 part dry vermouth?

By: furtive

furtive — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 06:20:59 -0800

I'm a huge fan of space, exploration and science, but this isn't huge, it's a dud. You supposedly have ice sitting in a hole you created and you can't even pick it up, let alone run a spectral analysis of it? Puh-lease! This is an attempt to fabricate results to better justify the millions (billions?) it cost to get there in the first place. The last time I checked, ice stayed ice at -29c (and that was the high for the day, not the low) Whatever it was could have been blown away or perhaps it was just the sun's shine. No doubt the scientists have thought of this already and have logical reasons as to why my doubts are wrong but until they properly explain it this is tenuous proof at best, and hardly newsworthy as fact: water mars. By their own reasoning Amelia Earhart was made of ice.

By: DU

DU — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 06:29:00 -0800

Snow and other water ices also sublime, although more slowly, at below-freezing temperatures.

By: Brandon Blatcher

Brandon Blatcher — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 06:39:53 -0800

You supposedly have ice sitting in a hole you created and you can't even pick it up, let alone run a spectral analysis of it? Hush, you'll just hurt its feelings.

By: sugarfish

sugarfish — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 06:47:00 -0800

Days like today, I love living in the future.

By: roystgnr

roystgnr — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 07:07:16 -0800

The last time I checked, ice stayed ice at -29c Did you check at 0.008 atmospheres of pressure while shining sun directly on the ice?

By: KirkJobSluder

KirkJobSluder — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 07:10:11 -0800

Furtive: The last time I checked, ice stayed ice at -29c Except when ambient atmospheric pressure is 700-900 kPa. Then water does indeed sublimate from ice to vapor. And heck, even in my sea-level apartment ice cubes seem to last only about a week in my self-defrosting freezer, but that's due to a different process. What makes this news from JPLs point of view (at least to those of us who actually have been following the story) is that while we already know there is water ice near the Martian polar north pole, there was no idea regarding how much and how close to the surface. Finding visible ice this close to the surface supports more optimistic models of water abundance. Considering that the Phoenix team has had to deal with multiple software issues, the failure of their initial sample preparation protocol, and a limited number of analysis ovens, their caution seems quite understandable to me.

By: spicynuts

spicynuts — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 07:58:55 -0800

I want an analysis oven. Do they have them at Bed Bath and Beyond?

By: Big_B

Big_B — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 08:19:12 -0800

Nah I checked last night. Try Linens and Things.

By: kcds

kcds — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 09:19:57 -0800

I, for one, welcome our new frozen-water-based Martian overlo... oh, never mind.

By: spicynuts

spicynuts — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 09:21:22 -0800

Drainage!! I DRINK YOUR WATER ICE!!! I DRINK IT DOWN!

By: KirkJobSluder

KirkJobSluder — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 15:04:22 -0800

more info

By: Citizen Premier

Citizen Premier — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 15:11:49 -0800

Also, see this and this. Well, went I meant to say was that I don't think life can exist without evolving into obvious forms. I base this opinion on absolutely nothing.

By: homunculus

homunculus — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 15:27:23 -0800

Martian Skies

By: furtive

furtive — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 16:05:22 -0800

Thanks for the links guys.

By: ZachsMind

ZachsMind — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 11:37:48 -0800

So NASA spent billions of dollars to find something on Mars that I can go buy a couple blocks away in my neighborhood grocery store. I just love the irony of that. Or.. the other thing. Not irony. What's that called? Oh yeah. Stupidity and blatant waste of resources. Yeah that's it. Or maybe i AM thinking irony? What would Alanis call it?

By: agregoli

agregoli — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 15:22:57 -0800

One of the most amazing discoveries of our time. I'm literally doing a little happy dance about this every day. It's just that cool. Go NASA!

By: humannaire

humannaire — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 16:02:23 -0800

Oh jeez this makes me so happy to be alive!

By: homunculus

homunculus — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 14:15:00 -0800

It Once Rained on Mars

By: saulgoodman

saulgoodman — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 08:02:04 -0800

More big related news: The soil on Mars is suitable for growing stuff and could definitely support life.

By: homunculus

homunculus — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 13:55:51 -0800

Water Found on the Moon

By: homunculus

homunculus — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 10:11:59 -0800

Incredible pictures of Mars - and they look surprisingly like some parts of Earth

By: homunculus

homunculus — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 13:37:31 -0800

Water, Water Everywhere on Mars

By: cashman

cashman — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 14:23:58 -0800

Dude, this picture is Awes.."The images were created by combining pictures taken from different orbits. The images can be viewed from different angles in three dimensions." Well that kind of spoils the fun, don't it.

By: tellurian

tellurian — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 16:09:18 -0800

There are some great (enhanced) pictures here. What is the object on the left-hand side of this though? It looks like a paper sack with 'Canada' on it.