Life on Mars???

[Maj.Nick Danger]

For once I seem to have scooped Mr. Bern with some news. lol This is interesting,...


http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/space/2006-12-06-mars-water_x.htm?csp=24

 

[Benny Holiday]

What's the agenda here? Why are scientists so desperate to find life on Mars these last few years? Every second mention of the planet is about the possibility of life being found there. Only five or six years ago, the same scientists would've derided anyone who proposed that life could exist there.

Did one Tom Cruise movie scare them that much? [huh]

 

[Phil]

What's the agenda here? Why are scientists so desperate to find life on Mars these last few years? Every second mention of the planet is about the possibility of life being found there. Only five or six years ago, the same scientists would've derided anyone who proposed that life could exist there.

Did one Tom Cruise movie scare them that much? [huh]

I think this all goes back to when Stephen Hawking announced that to firther the human race, we need to expand onto planets. I think this is an attempt to start the process of moving life to another planet. Besides, you never thought about other life on Mars?

 

[GOK]

I'm pretty sure I heard yesterday about plans to build a moonbase so that Mars exploration would be easier. Next thing you know, we'll be wearing those silver cat suits and purple wigs...

 

[Mindraker]

Be patient. The last space race was started when the Russians got interested in space, and the Americans felt like we had to out-do them. All we need is for the Chinese (or some other equally significant world power) to jump on the space bandwagon again, and next thing you know, we'll be on Mars.

 

[Baron Kurtz]

What's the agenda here? Why are scientists so desperate to find life on Mars these last few years? Every second mention of the planet is about the possibility of life being found there. Only five or six years ago, the same scientists would've derided anyone who proposed that life could exist there.

Did one Tom Cruise movie scare them that much? [huh]

Well, it is the only other planet in the solar system capable of bearing life as we know it (or so i understand it - astrophysicist, i ain't). And if there was life on Mars it'd be quite interesting, no?

And it'd be quite a nice rebuttal of the humanity-uber-alles mindset. (They'll rarely say it, but i suspect that many scientists would love to find life somewhere else just so that they could see the creation people scampering to find "reasons" that fit their theology.)

I'm not sure that serious scientists would really disallow for life on Mars such a short time ago. Intelligent life, societies and the like would have left a footprint. I suspect that is what was - and still probably is - denied. We would have known about that before now.


bk

 

[Baron Kurtz]

Isn't the article about water (not alive) on Mars? there was no mention of life ...

Looks like some recent frost-shattered rock (scree) to me.

bk

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

Ah but where there is water, there is at least the possibility of life. Bacteria? Mold? Intelligent plankton? Who knows? [huh]

 

[jamespowers]

Ah but where there is water, there is at least the possibility of life. Bacteria? Mold? Intelligent plankton? Who knows? [huh]

Yeah with our luck it would be like the Plankton on Sponge Bob.

Regards,

J

 

[melankomas]

mars is dreadfully interesting, yes, but it's not the only place being examined. Titan shows evidence of liquid methane, for example. remember, the people behind the projects must justify the expense. evidence of environments which may support or have supported some form of recognizable life is intriguing, and intrigue is one way to secure funding. the most interesting aspect of these bits of evidence about mars is the possibility of earth-like conditions.

 

[jamespowers]

mars is dreadfully interesting, yes, but it's not the only place being examined. Titan shows evidence of liquid methane, for example. remember, the people behind the projects must justify the expense. evidence of environments which may support or have supported some form of recognizable life is intriguing, and intrigue is one way to secure funding. the most interesting aspect of these bits of evidence about mars is the possibility of earth-like conditions.

Quite right. It is interesting int eh sense that scientists are looking at ways to create a breathable atmosphere on Mars. They devised a machine in theory that would make it earthling friendly with in ten years of installing the machine. At least that is what they claimed on the last TLC special I saw. [huh]
The possiblity would be very interesting. It sure would shut up all those we are running out of space on earth people. :eusa_clap

Regards,

J

 

[Baggers]

Next thing you know, we'll be wearing those silver cat suits and purple wigs...

You mean like these?

If so, I'm kind of okay with it.

Cheers!

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

I can dig that too.

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

Quite right. It is interesting int eh sense that scientists are looking at ways to create a breathable atmosphere on Mars. They devised a machine in theory that would make it earthling friendly with in ten years of installing the machine. At least that is what they claimed on the last TLC special I saw. [huh]
The possiblity would be very interesting. It sure would shut up all those we are running out of space on earth people. :eusa_clap

Regards,

J

Only 10 years!? We should get started right away. With only 10 years until atmosphere, we could conceivably completely terraform the planet and make it habitable in roughly 50 years at the least.

 

[melankomas]

Quite right. It is interesting int eh sense that scientists are looking at ways to create a breathable atmosphere on Mars. They devised a machine in theory that would make it earthling friendly with in ten years of installing the machine. At least that is what they claimed on the last TLC special I saw. [huh]
The possiblity would be very interesting. It sure would shut up all those we are running out of space on earth people. :eusa_clap

Regards,

J

i would be interested to learn more about this machine. earth-like conditions may have existed on mars, roughly, three and one half to four billion years past, according to the data that has been gathered. i should like to see how one plans to reverse this in ten years. do you know where i could find more information regarding this machine?

 

[Baggers]

Quite right. It is interesting int eh sense that scientists are looking at ways to create a breathable atmosphere on Mars. They devised a machine in theory that would make it earthling friendly with in ten years of installing the machine. At least that is what they claimed on the last TLC special I saw. [huh]
The possiblity would be very interesting. It sure would shut up all those we are running out of space on earth people. :eusa_clap

Regards,

J

Ah, yes. Terraforming. A staple of science fiction for years. And, if like most sci fi concepts, eventually doable once the technology is perfected. That is, unless some future generation of environmentalists tries to put a stop to it because they feel it will endanger some native Martian organism.

SAVE THE THARSIS ROCK OCTOPUS!!

Cheers!

 

[melankomas]

SAVE THE THARSIS ROCK OCTOPUS!!

i DO wish i hadn't read that bit while drinking my soda. the bubbles are so uncomfortable when travelling through the nose. i thank you for the refreshing laugh, however.

 

[Benny Holiday]

And it'd be quite a nice rebuttal of the humanity-uber-alles mindset. (They'll rarely say it, but i suspect that many scientists would love to find life somewhere else just so that they could see the creation people scampering to find "reasons" that fit their theology.)
bk

That's pretty much the agenda I was alluding to, Baron! lol

In actuality, science can be used to support the Bible and Creation as easily as it can to argue for evolution, more so in quite a few cases. Without turning this into a religious debate, though - we've had too many of these lately - I should add that the Bible never says there's not life on other planets. In fact, the beginning of the book of Job describes a meeting in which the 'Sons of God' come to meet before God; the fact that Satan is among them (having deceived Adam and taken dominion of the Earth from him) shows that the 'sons of God' are the rulers of all the worlds God has created. The other worlds, unlike ours, are 'unfallen'; their inhabitants observe the drama played out on ours as the results of Satan's cruel and selfish government are made clear to the universe.

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

Almost like Star Wars in a way. The classic story of good versus evil played out on a cosmic scale. Interestingly, The Bible also mentions "Wheels" a sort of angelic entity from other dimensions perhaps. Also the vision of Ezekial sounds a bit like a description of a space craft. So maybe some of the other inhabitants of the universe are permitted to observe and interact at times.

 

[Benny Holiday]

Exactly!

Spot-on, Major. Even the way some of the "winged creatures" and Seraphim, etc are depicted in different books of the Bible sounds almost Star Wars-like!

It is good vs evil. Satan accused God of being a tyrant, creating such dissent that he took one-third of the inhabitants of Heaven with him when he was exiled. All the other beings of the universe are watching, seeing if his claims that his way is better than God's are true or not. Well, he's given us death, disease, war, famine, poverty, selfishness, greed, lust . . . compared to a God who'd rather die Himself than see us destroyed. I don't think there'll be any problem with God standing vindicated before the unfallen worlds at the end of time, whaddaya think?