Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Game Changer: LIQUID Water found on MARS



FTA: These globs were seen to apparently move and grow between snapshots, and 22 members of the Phoenix team, including principal investigator Peter Smith of the University of Arizona in Tucson, think that this behavior combined with other Phoenix findings indicates that these blobs might have been liquid water that was splashed up onto the spacecraft as it landed.

Prepare to gloat. Evidence of life will not be far behind.

1 comment:

  1. This isn't exactly open and shut here. This apparent movement took place over the course of 36 solar cycles. The droplets aren't exactly zipping along. More likely this was frost that formed on the lander leg. Don't forget, Phoenix is currently in the arctic circle of a very cold planet, with very little atmosphere. It's possible that perchlorate acts as an antifreeze and keeps the water from sublimating, but it's always possible. Still, the possibility of condensation is pretty cool. Unfortunately, Phoenix wasn't outfitted with the technology to detect life, and it's not going to be doing much ever again. It's Martian winter, and if Phoenix ever emerges from its deep freeze, it's likely that it'll be irreparably damaged from the experience.

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