Slashdot Mirror
NASA Invents New Technique For Finding Alien Life
RedEaredSlider writes "From the IB Times article: 'Researchers from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., have come up with an idea to improve on an old standby of space exploration instruments and improve the odds of finding life, if any, on Mars. By adding a laser and an ion funnel to a mass spectrometer, it is possible to analyze the elements from the Martian surface directly, without the complex handling samples usually needed... The new version uses a two-step technique. First it shoots a laser at the sample's surface. This creates a plume of molecules and ions. To get the ions into the mass spectrometer, the new system uses an ion funnel. The ion funnel uses conductive, progressively smaller electrodes in the shape of a ring that attract the ions, effectively vacuuming them into the mass spectrometer.'"
"There are a lot of exciting discoveries about Mars that have yet to be made," Paul Johnson, of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, said in a statement. "This technique could make understanding the composition of rocks and soils on Mars -- possibly including evidence of life -- much easier."
It doesn't sound like a bad idea. How does this compare with the "RAT," which was installed on Spirit and Opportunity? I assume that it's not as likely to get jammed or clogged as the RAT, or previous "scooping" mechanisms that retrieved soil samples. Honestly, though, I feel that drilling into the sample source would give more accurate composition results than a light laser burst, which I can't imagine would be able to knock off more than a few layers of molecules.
Also, on another note, give me back my damn meta-moderation buttons on user pages.
vos nescitis quicquam, nec cogitatis quia expedit nobis ut unus moriatur homo pro populo et non tota gens pereat.
It involves Facebook, iPads, or noSQL?
Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
Is the lander going to be a long-legged tripod?
-- open source? sounds like the real book --
Direct mail marketing?
So in order to find alien life, we are going to hit it with a laser and look at the smoke. What if aliens were to do that to us one day?
Let it go, it doesnt help to keep spreading rumors about your ex, even if you say it in Martian.
Build your own energy sources from scratch. http://otherpower.com/
OMG! All those old timey ray-guns... with the progressively smaller rings at the muzzle were actually accurate!!!
Why send instruments like that, why not just send up a robust microscope with a HD camera? It will never be seen as confirmed unless you see the buggers moving around.
"Civis Europaeus sum!"
...if they could do this from orbit.
... shoot to kill, shoot to kill, shoot to kill, men.
(The Firm - Star Trekkin')
> NASA Invents New Technique For Finding Alien Life
Good, now shut down SETI... they're a waste of computing power.
The mysterons will not be happy.
It often helps finding mice. Everything loves cheese! I have no idea what the trap will look like, though....
I guess spectrometer data takes bit less space compared to those "hd shots" so they will be able to check more spots.
Look for the space aliens in Pasadena. Judging by Californians in general, I'm sure they could find a few.
I am officially gone from
In a billion years, there may be MARTIANS, and MARTIANS invade !! NUKE 'EM ALL !! NUKE 'EM NOW !! The only good MARTIAN is a DEAD MARTIAN !!
I wonder how much power this drains. One can only hope they use a better battery than the one in my phone. :-/
What the summary didn't mention is that the laser would be mounted on a selachimorpha...
Martian sharks with frickin' lasers!
My sci-fi novel, Ghost Thief, is now available from Amazon.com.
"We've already decided. Hold on to your gelsacs!"
- K'Breel, Speaker for the Council of Elders
In the spirit of the Golden Rule, I hope that any future alien visitors to Earth do not need to vacuum up humans before realizing we are indeed a life form. It sounds quite uncomfortable.
The next question is, "How does it taste?" I'm thinking of Popplers: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Problem_with_Popplers. NASA's contraption obviously overcooks it.
Captain Kirk phasered a creature that looked like a giant cheese burger patty, called a Horta. But after Spock did a Vulcan Mind Meld with it, Kirk felt guilty. So McCoy beamed down to bandage it with construction cement: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horta_(Star_Trek).
Schroedinger's Brexit: The UK is both in and out of the EU at the same time!
Eh, battery size might matter, but, ideally, they'll cyclically recharge through solar panels.
vos nescitis quicquam, nec cogitatis quia expedit nobis ut unus moriatur homo pro populo et non tota gens pereat.
Until it actually sends a laser on something that is alive, and then this new race will consider this an act of war, and retaliate, all because there species looks like rock (Start Trek episode...?)
Funny book, the researcher lands and starts melting rocks with his Laser.. Hilarity ensues.. I hope the Martians can get their tentacles around the concept of research VS invasion.
... I'll have a Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster with a side of Plutonium Nyborg
This is a good idea, but the summary and article make it sound like this is a new idea. The article shows that MALDI has been around for a while. Then again .... I'm an idiot .....
...... and idiots rule the world....
Sounds oddly like the logic of drowning witches. If they drown, they are innocent (but dead), and if they float they are witches and burned alive.
It also sounds like some alien races new technology to bombard Earth with large concussive impacts, and if a "red mist" is thrown up in place of potential life, they they will have discovered life.
Just shoot it with a laser. If it shoots back, we've found life. Dealing with the subsequent interstellar war is the responsibility of a different department.
Have gnu, will travel.
The IBTimes article is a little overblown. Better info can be found from PNNL's original press release, ambiguously titled "Tool makes search for Martian life easier."
There's a reference to the original journal article in Planetary and Space Science as well.
http://www.pnl.gov/news/release.aspx?id=842
Honestly, though, I feel that drilling into the sample source would give more accurate composition results than a light laser burst, which I can't imagine would be able to knock off more than a few layers of molecules.
It is possible to integrate a lot of laser power in a small device nowadays. For example, from the wikipedia article on lasers:
"Several workers demonstrated optically pumped VECSELs, and they continue to be developed for many applications including high power sources for use in industrial machining (cutting, punching, etc.) because of their unusually high power and efficiency when pumped by multi-mode diode laser bars"
Such a device should not be much larger than 1 or 2 cm. The power supplies are pretty large normally. But if a device for just pulsed use at low repetition rate is designed, it should be possible to make this pretty small. There is no need for the usually large cooling, and the high current can just come from a capacitor.
"NASA" (that agency ran by ex-nazi's and their offspring) has known about "Alien life" for over 80 years now.
Fuck slashdot is retarded.
I'll commence getting off your lawn now.
the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
I was thinking how this sounded very scifi like. Spectrometer, laser, ion. It's articles like this that I read Slashdot.
My Web Site
The Jet Propulsion Laboratory is in La Canada Flintridge, not Pasadena (whatever Wikipedia says.)
As soon as I read "mass spectrometer," I instantly began to hope that we don't overclock the spectrometer to, say, 105%. Such experiments may very well produce evidence of extraterrestrial life, but such life may prove to be extremely violent. The life may even turn our technology against us and decide to engage us in an interstellar conflict. Chances are that being the scapegoat-seeking humans we are, we would probably divert our resources towards trying to cover up the event. In that case, ff we become engaged in a conflict with such life, we may not be prepared for the style of warfare we encounter. I'm guessing that our entire planet could be conquered in, say, seven hours if the opposing race was advanced enough. Before you know it, we'll all be herded into condensed urban living areas and ruled in a totalitarian distopia by the first brown-nosed bureaucrat to offer Earth's surrender to the superior alien forces.
It's articles like this that I read Slashdot.
No, it's articles about lasers on sharks why you read slashdot.