Surprising Further Evidence for a Wet Mars

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on Monday May 21, 2007 @10:25AM from the slippery-when-wet dept.

Riding with Robots writes "When the robotic geologist Spirit found the latest evidence for a wet Mars, 'You could hear people gasp in astonishment,' said Steve Squyres, the lead scientist for the Mars rovers. 'This is a remarkable discovery. And the fact that we found something this new and different after nearly 1,200 days on Mars makes it even more remarkable. It makes you wonder what else is still out there.' The latest discovery, announced today, adds compelling new evidence for ancient conditions that might have been favorable for life, according to the rover team."

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Re:Looks like ... by RealGrouchy · 2007-05-21 11:54 · Score: 5, Informative

... that gimpy wheel was a blessing in disguise

While this does appear to be an interplanetary bug-as-a-feature, the rovers' wheels were actually designed to be able to scrape off the top layer of soil and expose what's underneath.

Obviously, not to the degree this disabled wheel has, but still, they very much had plans to scratch below the surface of Mars.

- RG>

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Hey pal, this isn't a pleasantforest, so don't waste my time with pleasantries!