Mars Phoenix lander discovers ice on Mars

It's only fitting that the glorious news of water ice on Mars was broke over Twitter this evening, via the Mars Phoenix lander's own first-person ramblings. Apparently Mars Phoenix was keeping an eye on some white patches it uncovered the other day, only to discover they'd disappeared today. According to the scientist folk over at NASA, that means those white patches must've been ice, which dissipated once uncovered. Now Mars Phoenix still has the considerable task of uncovering more ice and sampling it, but the mission is ahead of schedule and NASA has already identified a hard patch of ground it wants to dig into. Congrats to Mars Phoenix and all the fine folks at NASA, now be sure to watch out for the cave-dwelling little green men!

[Via Wired Science]

[L8on @ Jun 19th 2008 10:46PM]

"Where there's water, there is/was life!"

^that's still true right?

[gad get @ Jun 19th 2008 10:53PM]

No.

[applefan @ Jun 19th 2008 10:55PM]

Yes, as far as I know.

[Mike10010100 @ Jun 19th 2008 10:58PM]

No. Where there's water, nitrogen, carbon, a little electricity, and the right atmospheric conditions (humid, hot...), there's life.

[Reader @ Jun 19th 2008 11:06PM]

Mike, if you're referencing the experiment that it sounds like you are, then you are still incorrect. Where there are those things there are amino acids, which is far from life. Still a big jump from amino acids to even the simplest of life forms.

[bohsocks @ Jun 19th 2008 11:45PM]

Where's the specs, price, and release date?

[BobTurbo @ Jun 20th 2008 12:44AM]

No, because any species drinking ice would have to put up with major ice-cream headaches and this would eventually lead to its downfall.

[jonmacd @ Jun 20th 2008 5:31AM]

no.. where theres water food and wifi there is life.

[Garst @ Jun 20th 2008 5:31AM]

That's only a hypothesis. If they find water and life on other planet, then it can become a theory. Then if they ever find the same on a third planet, then it could become a fact. But it usually takes more than three cases before a theory becomes a fact.

[liam @ Jun 20th 2008 5:40AM]

@Mike

Don't you think thats narrowminded? For all we know life on other planets could have evolved to live on anything, not specifically water carbon etc... and you can't say its impossible because we have no way of knowing for sure. Think a little bit wider then what was taught in school my friend.

[Gert @ Jun 20th 2008 7:28AM]

Many of you think of exoplanetary life from a earth like form.
Life is also possible to exist from other materials such as silicon.

Humans.
We know very little and we are very bold.

[OneLove @ Jun 20th 2008 11:13AM]

So we can make unlimited cocktails on mars now? Yes!

[Mike10010100 @ Jun 20th 2008 5:31PM]

Let's put it this way. You said that it produces amino acids. That obviously isn't life. However, does life exist on Earth without amino acids? I know that there are possibly other forms of life- for instance, silicon base. However, have we discovered any life forms on earth that are silicon based?

Just because there isn't evidence that silicon life forms can't exist doesn't mean they can. That is like saying that when a block isn't observed by anyone, it ceases to exist. There's no way to prove it, and yet only assholes who think they know everything say that to contradict people who are trying to make a point.

Carbon is unique in that it can form long chains of hydrocarbons, thus providing a strong backbone for other elements to attach onto. You haven't researched very much into the idea of complex silicon lifeforms if you don't realize that there are many problems for the existence of silicon based life forms.

To quote from http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/19/mars-phoenix-lander-discovers-ice-on-mars/#commentform , "Conceivably, some strange life-forms might be built from silicone-like substances were it not for an apparently fatal flaw in silicon's biological credentials. This is its powerful affinity for oxygen. When carbon is oxidized during the respiratory process of a terrestrial organism (see respiration), it becomes the gas carbon dioxide – a waste material that is easy for a creature to remove from its body. The oxidation of silicon, however, yields a solid because, immediately upon formation, silicon dioxide organizes itself into a lattice in which each silicon atom is surrounded by four oxygens. Disposing of such a substance would pose a major respiratory challenge."

Also, from "Silicon dioxide precipitates in aqueous systems, and cannot be transported among living beings by common biological means.

As such, another solvent would be necessary to sustain silicon-based life forms; it would be difficult (if not impossible) to find another common compound with the unusual properties of water which make it an ideal solvent for carbon-based life."

Also, there has been no evidence in found in extra-terrestrial space rocks (comets, asteroids) that would indicate any possibility of silicon life.

Somebody has been watching too much science fiction.

[liam @ Jun 21st 2008 1:43AM]

regardless mike just like you said we have no proof for it but also none against. Granted the odds are slim but billions of years of evolution could have created something out of anything and we can't say it didn't. I understand what your saying but as far as we know there could be a element we don't even know about, granted its all speculation but its also a speculation to essentially say everything would need carbon to support life.

But anyway if people didn't have different views on things we wouldn't be where we are in technology now would we :)

[miko34 @ Jun 19th 2008 10:46PM]

The ice melted there already?
Great ... another planet with Global Warming.

[iEye @ Jun 19th 2008 10:51PM]

Global whobble?

NONE LIKE IT HOT!

[kain @ Jun 20th 2008 1:07AM]

@ieye

best comment ever

[loosely_coupled @ Jun 20th 2008 3:44AM]

um, Ice doesn't melt with negative 300 degree temperatures.. It probably sublimes like dry ice or vaporizes..

[miko34 @ Jun 20th 2008 4:08AM]

The ice "sublimed" or "vaporized" there already?
Great ... another planet with Global Warming.


Hmm... the joke just doesn't have the same ring to it.

If only they found the ice closer to the equator during summer on Mars, then it would've been fine since the Red Planet can reach 80 degrees F. ;)

[L8on @ Jun 19th 2008 10:47PM]

"Where there's water, there is/was life!"

^that's still true right?

[gad get @ Jun 19th 2008 10:54PM]

NO!

[Scott @ Jun 19th 2008 10:55PM]

Well, it may have been true the first time you wrote that, but by repeating it, then it becomes false.

[DB @ Jun 19th 2008 11:11PM]

its amazing how things can change in a minute these days...

[db cooper @ Jun 19th 2008 10:56PM]

Viking landers photographed frost on Mars more than thirty years ago. In 2005 Mars Express took a picture of a giant patch of water ice inside a crater. Who the hell cares that Phoenix found something we all knew was there?

[t3_slider @ Jun 19th 2008 11:02PM]

You're an idiot. It was assumed to be water ice but could have been methane ice or another organic compound, which, as far as we know, can't support life -- or at least not the kind of life on Earth. This is the first real proof that Mars currently contains water ice -- though it's not exactly proof yet, just an assumption. Time will tell.

[sinjinn @ Jun 19th 2008 11:03PM]

i care

[HalfJoey @ Jun 19th 2008 11:03PM]

Maybe you didn't read the part where they would be sampling the ice/water and not just taking pictures of it?

I couldnt tell you why they just didn't land near that crater.

[gad get @ Jun 19th 2008 11:05PM]

The existence of water on Mars has never been proven, regardless of what certain grainy photos taken from miles upon miles away in space may have implied.

[Nastro @ Jun 19th 2008 11:13PM]

Thats the typeof life i dont anna meetup with

[Juaquin @ Jun 19th 2008 11:55PM]

Mars actually has a very large amount of it's CO2 atmosphere frozen as ice. It migrates between the poles and the atmosphere depending on the season. We've always known there was ice - now we're making sure that there is H2O ice.

[andreykireev @ Jun 20th 2008 8:19AM]

The article doesn't actually say anywhere that this is in fact a H2O - water ice.. Says ice everywhere...

Well while typing this, did some research on NASA website:
"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, convincing scientists that the material was frozen water that vaporized after digging exposed it. "

=) yay!!

[Markus @ Jun 19th 2008 10:58PM]

Let's all go! To Mars!

[letstakeawalk @ Jun 19th 2008 11:45PM]

I'll bring the vodak, someone else bring the olives... we can make martianis!

[Jack @ Jun 20th 2008 5:49AM]

ill have mine on the rocks :D

[Jack @ Jun 20th 2008 6:07AM]

ill have mine on the rocks! :D

[Hardcore @ Jun 19th 2008 10:58PM]

Was it Vanilla Ice?

[BiiRO @ Jun 19th 2008 11:11PM]

...Ice Ice Baby !!!

[Craig B. @ Jun 19th 2008 11:17PM]

Ha. You know, I keep looking at that picture and expect to see a cigarette butt somewhere in it, I don't know why.

[Reader @ Jun 19th 2008 11:01PM]

I really hope they find some microbes or something. Would this probe know if it found life? Haven't really kept up on this one at all...

[sinjinn @ Jun 19th 2008 11:07PM]

yeah , the probe would know if it found anyything , it has trained for this mission all its life and really enjoys its job . it personally requested to be sent to mars because it had always been its dream since it was a baby probe in tthe probe factory.

[retro77 @ Jun 20th 2008 9:34AM]

@sinjinn: classic

[Markus @ Jun 19th 2008 11:01PM]

http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=1ytCEuuW2_A

[iphoney @ Jun 19th 2008 11:09PM]

I wonder how much a bottle of Martian water would cost... :-(

[Jhongerkong @ Jun 20th 2008 3:40PM]

4 anal probings

[Changaz @ Jun 19th 2008 11:13PM]

If they find life forms on Mars, I wonder how the intelligent design pundits would respond.

"... uh... God put microbes there... for... uh... humans to discover. Yes."

[gad get @ Jun 19th 2008 11:10PM]

Would microbes on a nearby planet somehow prove something?

[gad get @ Jun 19th 2008 11:16PM]

I wonder how atheists like you would respond if their arrogant, narrow-minded, cynical view of the universe was suddenly shattered before their eyes.

[melloncollie @ Jun 19th 2008 11:21PM]

@gad get
Yes, because your view on life and why we're here is so much more correct than Changaz.

Give me a break.

[Wolfticket @ Jun 19th 2008 11:21PM]

Probably in a similar fashion to the way many theist act at the moment.

[Bob @ Jun 19th 2008 11:25PM]

We'd probably respond by changing our views. You see, unlike theists, atheists believe what they believe due to scientific evidence. Do you have any evidence which will shatter our realistic view of the universe?