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Mars Harder and Colder Than Previously Thought

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the just-like-me dept.

coondoggie writes "Turns out that the surface of Mars is stiffer and colder than previously thought. New observations from NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter indicate that any liquid water that might exist below the planet's surface and any possible organisms living in that water would be located deeper than scientists had suspected. NASA made the discovery while using the Shallow Radar (SHARAD) instrument on the Orbiter, which revealed long, continuous layers stretching up to 600 miles, or about one-fifth the length of the United States. The radar pictures show a smooth, flat border between the ice cap and the rocky Martian crust, NASA said. On Earth, the weight of a similar stack of ice would cause the planet's surface to sag. The fact that the Martian surface is not bending means that its strong outer shell, or lithosphere, a combination of its crust and upper mantle, must be very thick and cold."

12 of 83 comments (clear)

  1. length clarification by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    > 600 miles or about one-fifth the length of the United States

    Or, to clarify, about 236417 Volkswagen Beetles in length.

  2. That's what I said by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    before I got married. Should have listened.

  3. Sounds familiar by LineGrunt · · Score: 5, Funny

    Mars Harder and Colder Than Previously Thought Sounds like one of my ex-girlfriends...
    1. Re:Sounds familiar by neomunk · · Score: 3, Funny
      Heh! I'm pretty early in this post so let me show you what I saw, for you ppl with thread view enabled...

      Sounds familiar (Score:4, Funny)
      by LineGrunt (133002) Alter Relationship on Saturday May 17, @10:19AM (#23445472)

      Mars Harder and Colder Than Previously Thought
      Sounds like one of my ex-girlfriends... and then, right below...

      Hmmm (Score:3, Funny)
      by Anonymous Coward on Saturday May 17, @10:19AM (#23445476)
      "Harder and Colder Than Previously Thought"

      Sounds like my wife. POsted at the same time, so the second is probably a coincidence, not a rip off, but the thing that made me LOL was noticing that the guy talking about his ex-gf used his username, and the married guy posted anonymously. I guess some stereotypes have to be true every now and then if they're going to retain their humor.
  4. Hmmm by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    "Harder and Colder Than Previously Thought"

    Sounds like my wife.

  5. There's something wrong with the thought of... by oDDmON+oUT · · Score: 2, Funny

    Stiff, cold martians.

    --
    Some days it's just not worth
    chewing through my restraints.
  6. Re:Questionable analogy? by canajin56 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Odds may be high that they accounted for the differences. However, this is NASA we are talking about. Odds are also high that they used Kg. for one, and lbs. for the other.

    --
    ASCII stupid question, get a stupid ANSI
  7. It's to be expected, really... by FurtiveGlancer · · Score: 4, Funny

    He is the god of war after all. I'd imagine that tends to make one cold and hard over the millenia.

    --
    Invenio via vel creo
  8. Hah! Everone knows... by Chaset · · Score: 2, Funny

    That at proper serving temperature, a Mars bar's chocolate covering is harder and colder than the chewy nougat and caramel inside.

    --
    -- "This world is a comedy to those who think, a tragedy to those who feel."
  9. Harder and Colder Than Previously Thought? by gyrogeerloose · · Score: 2, Funny

    That's exactly what I said about my ex-wife!

    --
    This ain't rocket surgery.
    1. Re:Harder and Colder Than Previously Thought? by pyro_peter_911 · · Score: 2, Funny

      That's exactly what I said about my ex-wife!
      What a coincidence! That's exactly what I said about your ex-wife too!

      (ducks and runs)

      Peter

      --
      Downsize DC Today!
  10. Re:Lack of flexure observed before by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    This was already suspected. The giant volcanic pile of Tharis fails to cause significant flexure of the lithosphere. This has been known since the Viking days.

    Amazing. Is there anything that the Vikings didn't know?