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More on the Mars Ice Cap

Posted by michael on from the lets-go-see-for-ourselves dept.

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."

8 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. 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.
  3. 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.

  4. 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
  5. QUAID! by The+Other+White+Boy · · Score: 5, Funny

    Start the reactorrr!!

    Sorry karma, I just couldn't resist.

  6. 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.

  7. 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
  8. 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*