More on the Mars Ice Cap

Posted by michael on Friday February 14, 2003 @10:09AM 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."

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Bring it on by NETHED · 2003-02-14 10:14 · Score: 1, Redundant

Someone is going to point out that terraforming is good, someone is going to say it is bad. Flames will be exchanged, and people will be modded down. Can you feel the LOVE that is /.?

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the cost of space missions ? by Anonymous Coward · 2003-02-14 10:24 · Score: 0, Redundant

I just wonder how on earth can one single space shuttle launch cost an average of 470 million dollars? (taken from the spacekids website). I do know a lot of people are involved but 470....

Its just crazy...or not, considering many of the companies supplying repair-parts and other stuff for the space shuttles do everything they can to stop NASA from buying/developing new and cheaper space shuttles.