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.'"

Comments

War of the worlds in reverse...

[kipling]

Is the lander going to be a long-legged tripod?

Life going up in smoke

[michelcolman]

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?

Re:Life going up in smoke

[octal666]

NASA confirms, there WAS life on Mars.

Re:Ignore this notice

[h00manist]

Let it go, it doesnt help to keep spreading rumors about your ex, even if you say it in Martian.

Old Timey Ray Guns!!!

[Dutchmaan]

OMG! All those old timey ray-guns... with the progressively smaller rings at the muzzle were actually accurate!!!