Slashdot Mirror


More on the Mars Ice Cap

bfwebster writes "In a striking example of how a preliminary (but wrong!) scientific conclusion can persist for decades, Space.com has a story about how the south polar ice cap on Mars is mostly water, not mostly carbon dioxide (dry ice), as has been stated since the late 1960s. The new finding is based on analysis of Mars Observer readings that show that the souther polar ice cap is too warm at certain seasons to be dry ice. This finding has negative implications both for those claiming that liquid flow structures on Mars were caused by C02 instead of H20, as well as those who were hoping to use all that CO2 for terraforming."

21 of 272 comments (clear)

  1. Terrorforming...... by isotope23 · · Score: 5, Funny

    What?

    If we can't Terrorform Mars then....

    The Terarrists HAVE WON!

    --
    Service guarantees Citizenship! Questions Guarantee GITMO.... Amerika Uber Alles!
  2. Conspiracies... by Yoda2 · · Score: 4, Funny

    When are these so called scientists & astronomers going to give up on this whole "planet called Mars" bit?

  3. This just in! by Madsci · · Score: 5, Funny

    Scientists discover that the ice cap is cotton candy, not water. The "beer-foam" scientists are devastated. Life continues exactly as before.

    --
    Your paranoia is about as subtle as the alien probe in your neck.
  4. On the other hand... by vjmurphy · · Score: 4, Funny

    "This finding has negative implications both for those claiming that liquid flow structures on Mars were caused by C02 instead of H20, as well as those who were hoping to use all that CO2 for terraforming." "

    On the other hand, it has positive implications for those wanting to make slurpees.

    --
    Vincent J. Murphy
    Spandex Justice
  5. Excellent news! by grub · · Score: 4, Funny


    Now future Mars astronauts can start out their camps right; they can build a brewery to use that water!

    --
    Trolling is a art,
  6. Water is good. by Cpt_Kirks · · Score: 4, Funny

    Water vapor holds in heat too. Just not as effectively as CO2.

    It's pretty damn good mixed with Bourbon, too.

  7. That's it by Spazntwich · · Score: 5, Funny

    Maybe someone should explain to the scientists we have to worry about not having our probes CRASH ON LANDING before we can worry about actually terraforming a planet.

  8. ice age party by goombah99 · · Score: 4, Funny

    I'm guessing the north pole is dry ice still. that means if the planet warms a bit we get club soda. I'll drink to that.

    --
    Some drink at the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle.
  9. Re:Martian Vacation by DonkeyJimmy · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'd still like to vacation on mars before I die...

    don't worry, you still can... only now it will be immediately before you die.

    --
    "Probably the toughest time in anyone's life is when you have to murder a loved one because they're the devil." -Philips
  10. QUAID! by The+Other+White+Boy · · Score: 5, Funny

    Start the reactorrr!!

    Sorry karma, I just couldn't resist.

  11. Re:Spectrometer? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Thats exactly the reason why you work as the IT guy in your uncle's company and not at NASA.

  12. Re:Spectrometer? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    So, to make it the easiest, why not just say some actor said that it is H2O, instead of bring temperature into it?

    Hi, I am not a scientist, but I play one on T.V....

  13. Mars Attacks! by handy_vandal · · Score: 4, Funny

    There's plenty of water, so ... when the Martians attack Earth, it's because they want our C02, right?

    --
    -kgj
  14. Re:Martian Vacation by athakur999 · · Score: 4, Funny

    I can imagine what bars on Mars will be like when colonists first go over there.

    "Hey baby, want to help me heat up the planet?"

    --
    "People that quote themselves in their signatures bother me" - athakur999
  15. Interplanetary Axis of Evil! by Tumbleweed · · Score: 4, Funny

    Clearly we should extend the "War on Terror" to the planet Mars - they keep shooting down our probes. Time to implement a "No Orbit" zone around the Communist Red Planet Menace!

    I mean, really, think about it - their moons (Phobos and Deimos) - those are clearly suspicious names. (translate them for more info)

  16. problems teriforming..bah by the_2nd_coming · · Score: 3, Funny

    just put about 1500 coal buring power plants on the surface and in 50 years it will be a tropical island.

    --



    I am the Alpha and the Omega-3
    1. Re:problems teriforming..bah by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      Yes, because coal is plentiful on Mars!

  17. easy, easy I tells ya by DrSkwid · · Score: 5, Funny

    Greenhouses could easily be built on the surface

    for sufficiently large values of easy

    --
    There are places where the networks are not touching,and there are places where they are-Boeing's Lori Gunter
  18. Re:But... by Tackhead · · Score: 5, Funny
    > Well, you could heat things up a bit by dropping a comet on it. That would give you your carbon dioxide at the same time.
    >
    > Of course, you'd need to pick an "earth crosser" (well mars crosser), or the energetic considerations would be a bit steep.

    Well, they've got it working for space probes. It's just a matter of scaling up. *rimshot*

  19. Re:Ionosphere by Fizzl · · Score: 3, Funny

    You mean ozone layer?

    Yeah, earth used to have one of these. ;)

  20. Dubya by t0ny · · Score: 3, Funny
    as well as those who were hoping to use all that CO2 for terraforming."

    I guess we'll just have to make our green-house effect the old fashioned way. Can we send Texas to Mars?

    --

    Manipulate the moderator system! Mod someone as "overrated" today.