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Mars Rovers Find More Evidence of Water

loconet writes "Space.com and JPL are reporting that the Mars Rovers might be on the verge of confirming that large amounts of water once flowed in a region of Mars that has looked curiously dry until now. Such a finding could be comparable to their discovery earlier this year of an ancient shallow sea on the other side of the red planet. Opportunity has found lumpy, odd rock unlike anything its seen to date. The rock concentration seems much rougher than the 'blueberries' found earlier on in the mission. Researchers hope to swing by the rock on the way out of Endurance for further study. 'It could just be one big mass of concretions,' Squyres said. 'I just don't know.' Meanwhile, Spirit, which has now climbed about 10 yards up a hillside, getting above the Gusev plain, found an interesting rock dubbed 'Longhorn'. Both rovers have been exploring more than twice as long as they were designed to last. And even though the Martian winter is at its coldest, engineers are confident that the rovers will continue, despite showing signs of mortality."

31 of 220 comments (clear)

  1. In other news, by La_Boca · · Score: 5, Funny

    Martians took over the rover and programmed it with an ominous message:

    "Nothing for you to see here. Please move along."

    1. Re:In other news, by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      These aren't the rovers you're looking for.

    2. Re:In other news, by ackthpt · · Score: 2, Funny
      Martians took over the rover and programmed it with an ominous message:
      "Nothing for you to see here. Please move along."

      Then they went on to demonstrate their superiour intellegence by holding tea and no tea at the same time.

      --

      A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
  2. Now by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    If they could just find some bottle it, then they'd never need to worry about government funding again.

  3. This Headline Is Not for Sale by dmayle · · Score: 4, Funny

    Now, I want to know, is this Longhorn rock a symptom of this? And if so, is Microsoft giving money to OSDN, or have they gone straight to NASA to participate in "the growing trend of inserting ads more directly into online content"

    It's funny... laugh... Please...?

  4. oh no, its happened... by civman2 · · Score: 5, Funny
    Meanwhile, Spirit, which has now climbed about 10 yards up a hillside, getting above the Gusev plain, found an interesting rock dubbed 'Longhorn'.
    Microsoft now has products on TWO PLANETS! We need to find a rock somewhere and name it Sunbird, quick!
    1. Re:oh no, its happened... by d474 · · Score: 3, Funny
      Meanwhile, Spirit, which has now climbed about 10 yards up a hillside, getting above the Gusev plain, found an interesting rock dubbed 'Longhorn'.
      And in other News...today the Mars Spirit rover, after spotting an interesting rock dubbed 'Longhorn', experienced a massive failure and is now permanently transmitting back to Earth what is known in the IT world as the 'Blue Screen of Death'.
      JPL engineers have tried to correct the problem by renaming the interesting rock to 'Red Hat Linux 8.0'. They have no response from the catatonic rover as of yet.
      --
      Authority questions you. Return the favor.
    2. Re:oh no, its happened... by NanoGator · · Score: 2, Funny

      "JPL engineers have tried to correct the problem by renaming the interesting rock to 'Red Hat Linux 8.0'. They have no response from the catatonic rover as of yet."

      Sadly, a phone call to Redhat surprisingly turned unhelpful when they suddenly announced they were no longer going to support 8.

      --
      "Derp de derp."
  5. So that's where it is! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Meanwhile, Spirit, which has now climbed about 10 yards up a hillside, getting above the Gusev plain, found an interesting rock dubbed 'Longhorn'.

    No wonder it's taken MS so long to get Longhorn out. They've got to haul it from Mars!

  6. Longhorn by Rosco+P.+Coltrane · · Score: 4, Funny

    found an interesting rock dubbed 'Longhorn'.

    Sheesh, when NASA works faster than Microsoft, there's a cause for concern...

    --
    "A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
    1. Re:Longhorn by nizo · · Score: 2, Funny

      I just assumed they named it after a Microsoft product because it was full of holes.

    2. Re:Longhorn by Shazow · · Score: 3, Funny

      "In other news, Microsoft sues NASA over trademark infringement, forcing NASA to change the rock's name from 'Longhorn' to 'Longspire'."

      - shazow

  7. In other news by Celt · · Score: 1, Funny

    The Mars roover has discovered water after a flash flood sweeped it away,

    --
    "WebTV: bringing the Internet into the shallow end of the gene pool since 1995" - Martin Bishop
  8. What about the mysterious slashdot rock? by IGTeRR0r · · Score: 1, Funny

    There IS evidence of slashdot on mars:
    Slashdot Rock

  9. That explains things yesterday.... by Lumpy · · Score: 4, Funny

    Opportunity has found lumpy

    I was wondering why I felt like someone was following me yesterday....

    This is not going to help my paranoia one bit.

    --
    Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
  10. The way the tin foil hat crowd will see it... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    "There is no way NASA can lead us to believe that THIS [http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/mer/images.cfm?i d=787] is a rock! It is very obviously organic. Just LOOK at it. It is some sort of fleshy, wrinkly creature, or remnant of one. Anyone with two eyes and half a brain can plainly see that.

    Now the question is, why is NASA trying to mislead the public YET AGAIN [link to moon landing hoax website] [link to mars face page]!

    blah blah blah..." ;-)

    1. Re:The way the tin foil hat crowd will see it... by AKAImBatman · · Score: 2, Funny

      So that's where the Beagle ended up!

    2. Re:The way the tin foil hat crowd will see it... by teamhasnoi · · Score: 2, Funny
      Anyone with two eyes and half a brain can plainly see that.

      I've only got one eye, you insensitive clod!

      .^(

  11. Scientists say... by charlie763 · · Score: 3, Funny

    that the release of the pictures of the Longhorn rock are delayed and will not be available until 2007.

    --
    Welcome to the land of the free...pay toll ahead...no photography...please open your bag...
  12. Ironic by MikeMacK · · Score: 4, Funny

    From the previous story, "Writing Software Worldwide Proves Difficult", it said 23 of 56 people couldn't find the Pacific Ocean on a map, and yet we can find water on other planets. Looks like all the people who got A's in geography work at NASA.

    1. Re:Ironic by Barlo_Mung_42 · · Score: 2, Funny

      Unless of coarse they are still looking for the Pacific Ocean.

  13. I'm the only one... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny
    ... who read

    '... It could just be one big mass of excretions,'

    I think it's related with noticing the word "Longhorn" somewhere in the article

  14. Re:Finally, the secret weapon is discovered! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Next you'll be saying that Gates purchased the U of Texas.
    No, but he did purchase Standford.


    Really? I cand barely stan the thought...

  15. Nice! by The-Bus · · Score: 4, Funny
    --

    Small potatoes make the steak look bigger.

  16. Trace of Dinosaurus Rex on Mars by denisbergeron · · Score: 4, Funny

    This picture of Endurance rook look realy like Dinosaurus Rex feces
    http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/mer/images .cfm?id =787
    May be this can explain why Dinosaurus was extinguish!

    --
    Ceci n'est pas une Signature !
  17. now if only... by m2bord · · Score: 1, Funny

    nasa can find evidence of beer on mars, we'll know for sure there was intelligent life.

    --
    Is it 5:30 yet?
  18. Re:That doesn't quite look like a rock by chris_mahan · · Score: 2, Funny

    It would be a lot more fun if the rock wasn't there in the morning.

    --

    "Piter, too, is dead."

  19. Martian Longhorn by scottyboy · · Score: 4, Funny

    A NASA spokesperson said that the rover was projected to reach the Longhorn rock "sometime in 2005... no wait! 2006... um... 2007?"

  20. Screw water -- where are the killer DNA bacteria? by IronChefMorimoto · · Score: 4, Funny

    Screw this "NASA found water today" and "Spirit discovered more water this month" and "scientists believe there's water in this rock" crap.

    When is NASA going to bring back a sample of killer DNA bacteria back to Earth from Mars, clone a fast-growing horny chick in a glass box, and then let her loose to find the first guy to fuck hard and nasty before ripping his groin in two with her alien scissor legs?

    'cause I'm waiting on that kind of woman, and I think it'd be a great way to go out in a blaze of...wait...never mind. I'm a computer nerd with a gut, pale white skin, and a rash that we won't talk about here. She'll be hunting a prime specimen with whom to sow her seed.

    Back to Far Cry and /. news. Sigh...

    IronChefMorimoto

  21. Re:more evidence... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    Ziggy Stardust plays with the Spiders from Mars.

  22. Rock named "Longhorn" by mr.+mulder · · Score: 1, Funny

    Upon examining the rock, did the rover suffer from an unexplained BSOD?