Ice on Mars

Cypress said:
Correct you are. Damo seems to be PMSing lately.

As for the insults Damo hurled at me, saying I just pulled it out of my ass that "life detection" equipment hasn't yet been developed that can withstand a trip on a spacecraft, I guess NASA agrees with me. I thought I read something about this from somewhere.





Naturally, I don't expect any apologies, or admissions that he was wrong, from Damo. :rolleyes:
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1. That does not prove that there is nothing that would detect something larger than the "minutest traces" of life. Instead we hear that they have nothing at all that can detect life on the machine. Just rudimentary tests for something else.

2. Sure I'll apologize. Why not?

I'm sorry I requested that you not be an ass.
 
Anyway, instead of always saying that there is nothing that can detect life on the thing. Why did they not, at the very least, send a CCD camera that can take high magnification pictures? It wouldn't be able to detect the minutest traces, but it certainly could show a single cell organism if the thing just happened to pick one up. At that point they could at least give it a try. At this time they have "nothing that can detect life"....

Now, I'll ask again. Why do we never send anything at all that can detect life? It wouldn't be that difficult. Shoot, and instead of using sublimation to shout "It MUST be water" why not something that could actually test it and say for certain, "This is water!"
 
Damocles said:
Anyway, instead of always saying that there is nothing that can detect life on the thing. Why did they not, at the very least, send a CCD camera that can take high magnification pictures? It wouldn't be able to detect the minutest traces, but it certainly could show a single cell organism if the thing just happened to pick one up. At that point they could at least give it a try. At this time they have "nothing that can detect life"....
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A friend of mine who was working on that very thing several years ago said that the greatest obstacle with that technology was the temperatures. On a planet such as Mars (is there wind there?) dust may also be a factor. To a certain limited extent, it may also be possible to use a form of laser spectroscopy to help identify components of the planet's atmosphere, if any. Those trace elements, if they exist, may be evidence of some form of plant life.
 
Damocles said:
1. That does not prove that there is nothing that would detect something larger than the "minutest traces" of life. Instead we hear that they have nothing at all that can detect life on the machine. Just rudimentary tests for something else.

2. Sure I'll apologize. Why not?

I'm sorry I requested that you not be an ass.
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LOL

Okay.

I think all I said was that the current technology on the mars lander had the capacity to detect organic compounds and stuff like that. But, it didn't have the technology to prove the presence of actual biological microorganisms, because that technology doesn't yet exist for inter planetary space flight.

The article, and the NASA website indicated I was right on all counts.

Which is cool, because I'm wrong a lot!
 
Thorn said:
A friend of mine who was working on that very thing several years ago said that the greatest obstacle with that technology was the temperatures. On a planet such as Mars (is there wind there?) dust may also be a factor. To a certain limited extent, it may also be possible to use a form of laser spectroscopy to help identify components of the planet's atmosphere, if any. Those trace elements, if they exist, may be evidence of some form of plant life.
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True, and it would have worked well to find out if the ice was indeed H2O instead of just saying that it "must be"...
 
Cypress said:
LOL

Okay.

I think all I said was that the current technology on the mars lander had the capacity to detect organic compounds and stuff like that. But, it didn't have the technology to prove the presence of actual biological microorganisms, because that technology doesn't yet exist for inter planetary space flight.

The article, and the NASA website indicated I was right on all counts.

Which is cool, because I'm wrong a lot!
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Yes, and my question was why they didn't include some of the technology that can actually detect some forms of life. It isn't always necessary to send equipment that will detect the minutest traces as your secondary links stated.

We continue to send expensive machines that tell us tons of stuff, but not the stuff I am most curious about. Instead they test machines in remote places of the world that will tell me what I'd love to know and refuse to just send what we have that can do at least some tests...

NASA sometimes is frustrating. First in the way they often refuse risk in one of the most riskiest ventures, then in things like this that may be overkill.
 
Onceler said:
"It's life Captain, but not as we know it"

"It's worse than that, he's dead, Jim!"

"I can't change the laws of physics!"

Anyone remember that song "Star Trekkin' across the universe?" Great novelty tune.

Anyhoo, I sometimes wonder about the whole "must have water for life" thing. We're biased because of how life evolved here on earth, which is everything we know; who knows what else is out there....
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Oh Yes! I totally do. I had forgotten about it until now. I should see if you can get it online and put it on my ipod. Wow, that was a really cool song.
 
Darla said:
Oh Yes! I totally do. I had forgotten about it until now. I should see if you can get it online and put it on my ipod. Wow, that was a really cool song.
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lol here. I have been singing it all day...was already up on youtube

 
Damocles said:
LOL. I love Star Trek. I've watched countless hours.
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Did you ever spend hours trying to figure out, if you were on the Enterprise, and of course, both Captain Kirk and Spock would be totally in love with you, right? So, who would you pick? I never could solve that one problem. I really want them both. I don’t know if you had the same problem?
 
Darla said:
Did you ever spend hours trying to figure out, if you were on the Enterprise, and of course, both Captain Kirk and Spock would be totally in love with you, right? So, who would you pick? I never could solve that one problem. I really want them both. I don’t know if you had the same problem?
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No, I was always staring at Nichelle Nichols.

HOTCHA!
 
Does anybody remember the episode where Spock did a mind meld with a rock? That was the FUNNIEST EVER....

"I... feel..... pain...."
 
Darla said:
Did you ever spend hours trying to figure out, if you were on the Enterprise, and of course, both Captain Kirk and Spock would be totally in love with you, right? So, who would you pick? I never could solve that one problem. I really want them both. I don’t know if you had the same problem?
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That's an interesting conundrum; Kirk definitely comes from more of the topspin/head decapitation man-place, while Spock is more of a thinking man/Krugman choice, though without the sweat.

I'm with Damo - gotta embrace those rare times - it's Uhura all the way. Nurse Chapel didn't really offer much competition...
 
I feel like im experiencing pon farr right now. Time to get out of the office. have a good Friday night all!
 
Onceler said:
That's an interesting conundrum; Kirk definitely comes from more of the topspin/head decapitation man-place, while Spock is more of a thinking man/Krugman choice, though without the sweat.

I'm with Damo - gotta embrace those rare times - it's Uhura all the way. Nurse Chapel didn't really offer much competition...
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Ohhh, please, don’t make me associate Captain Kirk with Topper!

She was gorgeous, and what a bod. She definitely had it all.
 
Damocles said:
Does anybody remember the episode where Spock did a mind meld with a rock? That was the FUNNIEST EVER....

"I... feel..... pain...."
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Yeah I remember it. The Horta? I think. I liked that episode. But, Mirror, Mirror was probably my favorite, because, Spock with facial hair, that was just too hot.
 
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