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Large Caves Found on the Surface of Mars

Posted by Zonk on from the oh-crap-i'd-better-move-my-stuff dept.

David DelMonte writes "Space.com is reporting on the discovery of seven dark spots near the Equator on Mars. The thinking is that these are cave openings. The openings are the size of football fields, and one of them is thought to extend approximately 400 feet below the surface.'The researchers hope the discovery will lead to more focused spelunking on Mars. "Caves on Mars could become habitats for future explorers or could be the only structures that preserve evidence of past or present microbial life ," said Glenn Cushing of Northern Arizona University, who first spotted the black areas in the photographs.'"

7 of 191 comments (clear)

  1. Wait, what? by susano_otter · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Why does the article keep switching back and forth between "we think they might be caves" and "we're certain they really are caves"? Let me know when they've made up their minds about whether or not they've made up their minds, and I'll start caring about these (possible) caves.

    --

    Any sufficiently well-organized community is indistinguishable from Government.

  2. Surprise? by Enderandrew · · Score: 4, Insightful

    We know Venus has mountains and valleys. We know Mars has mountains and valleys.

    Should be at all surprised to find caves on Mars?

    I thought we already believed that all solid planets had plate activity like Earth, that formed the mountains and valleys. Aren't caves a natural extension of that thought process?

    I thought this was a given.

    --
    http://blindscribblings.com - Tasty pop-culture in conceptual fashion.
    1. Re:Surprise? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

      I don't see the word "surprising" anywhere in the article. You do realize there's a difference between predicting something and confirming it, right?

  3. No matter how much changes... by goofyheadedpunk · · Score: 4, Insightful

    > Caves on Mars could become habitats for future explorers...

    Does anyone else find it slightly amusing that as humans move out into space we may yet again end up living in caves?

    --

    What if the entire Universe were a chrooted environment with everything symlinked from the host?
  4. 2001 A space odyssey by Profane+MuthaFucka · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Part of the symbolism of the space baby at the end of the movie is that people are masters of the Earth, but we're infants in space. We're vulnerable, and have to learn and practice even simple things like moving from one end of the spacecraft to the other in a spacesuit. We wear diapers up there.

    If we're going to be on Mars, it is therefore fitting that we should be cavemen. That's where we started, and that's where we will start again.

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  5. Re:We're not as unique as everyone thinks... by exp(pi*sqrt(163)) · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Don't confuse a propaganda campaign by NASA with what scientists actually think. Nobody working in the field is the least surprised by caves on Mars. But NASA need to make press releases and hype them up a bit. And anyway, caves on Mars are cool.

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  6. Re:We're not as unique as everyone thinks... by escher · · Score: 3, Insightful

    No problem. You shoot a nuke down a bug hole, you got a lot of dead bugs.