EPTMars Mission: Curiosity - Page 55
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Keep Nation bragging and the political debate out. | ||
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Band9
United States45 Posts
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{CC}StealthBlue
United States41117 Posts
Scientists working on NASA's six-wheeled rover on Mars have a problem. But it's a good problem. They have some exciting new results from one of the rover's instruments. On the one hand, they'd like to tell everybody what they found, but on the other, they have to wait because they want to make sure their results are not just some fluke or error in their instrument. It's a bind scientists frequently find themselves in, because by their nature, scientists like to share their results. At the same time, they're cautious because no one likes to make a big announcement and then have to say "never mind." The exciting results are coming from an instrument in the rover called SAM. "We're getting data from SAM as we sit here and speak, and the data looks really interesting," John Grotzinger, the principal investigator for the rover mission, says during my visit last week to his office at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. That's where data from SAM first arrive on Earth. "The science team is busily chewing away on it as it comes down," says Grotzinger. SAM is a kind of miniature chemistry lab. Put a sample of Martian soil or rock or even air inside SAM, and it will tell you what the sample is made of. Grotzinger says they recently put a soil sample in SAM, and the analysis shows something earthshaking. "This data is gonna be one for the history books. It's looking really good," he says. Source | ||
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Draconicfire
Canada2562 Posts
Gah. | ||
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andiCR
Costa Rica2273 Posts
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Nausea
Sweden807 Posts
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ShoCkeyy
7815 Posts
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helvete
Sweden276 Posts
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ElMeanYo
United States1032 Posts
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Northern_iight
Canada363 Posts
On November 21 2012 07:54 ElMeanYo wrote: They found gold minerals on mars. Muling them as we speak. using a nydus to bring it back would be pretty efficient | ||
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omisa
United States494 Posts
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Ender985
Spain910 Posts
So my money is on something water related, like they found a rock with an unusual high percentage of water which might indicate that there are subterranean (submartian?) rivers or something to that effect. | ||
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acker
United States2958 Posts
I wish. But it's probably something more down to earth. Hopefully evidence that life on Mars previously existed. | ||
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~ava
Canada378 Posts
I am wondering if they found organics in the soil, any organics would be pretty awesome. | ||
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MooMu
Canada615 Posts
On November 21 2012 08:36 Ender985 wrote: I don't think they would make an announcement of an announcement of life on mars. They would just probably go WTF GUYS WE FOUND LIFE ON MARS!!!!111 So my money is on something water related, like they found a rock with an unusual high percentage of water which might indicate that there are subterranean (submartian?) rivers or something to that effect. That's exactly what they would not do if they had found evidence of life. | ||
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jcroisdale
United States1543 Posts
Its fun to imagine crazy things being found and people reaction to them. Imagine the find a cross just posted in the middle of mars, or one random box of eggos. | ||
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Calm
Canada380 Posts
Probably water I'm thinking. Life would be insane... | ||
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On_Slaught
United States12190 Posts
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Brutaxilos
United States2630 Posts
SUCCESS! | ||
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TheRabidDeer
United States3806 Posts
On November 21 2012 13:55 On_Slaught wrote: For the history books? For a scientist to say that makes me giddy with excitement to see what they got. What scientists find for the history books is hugely different than what other people imagine for the history books. I predict they found moisture in the sample, which means water. | ||
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Nausea
Sweden807 Posts
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