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BBC: Mars 'not a watery world'
Scoria writes "Contrary to a belief shared among many scientists, new evidence established by NASA's Mars Global Surveyor suggests that the planet may not have once possessed a temperate climate capable of sustaining life. Instead, an absence of carbonate rock deposits, which require the presence of liquid water to be produced, lends credence to those who believe that Mars is perpetually frozen."
"Could Dash Hopes for Past Oceans on Mars"
Bugger that. I hope for future oceans on Mars.
It is even better: there is so much water in "iceteroids" like the Centaurs, Trans-Neptune objects or Trojans that it would suffice to provide Mars with oceans even if Mars currently is bone dry, and even if only a fraction of those objects were diverted to Mars.
These objects are not stuck inside any gravity well, and with appropriate gravity assists an enormous amount of water could be sent on its way by using very little "delta-vee".
Five years ago, when 1996TL66 -a hundred-kilometer object- was discovered, I worked out that a velocity change of less than 0.2 km/s at aphelion could bring it to the vicinity of Neptune for a gravity assist, and when better telescopes are built we will no doubt find many other "iceteroids" that are even better suited.
Currently by our limited view of how life has come to be what it is and evolved, we believe water to be essential to the existence of life. Does this mean that there can be other forms of life that don't require water? Sure, its a good way to find life that is like that which we are accustomed to, but perhaps there are other forms of life that don't require the presence of water. I don't claim to be a scientist...just food for thought :)
Mark Loeser