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Martian Rocks Land In Morocco

Hugh Pickens writes "Scientists have confirmed chemically a recent and rare invasion from Mars with 15 pounds of fresh Martian rocks falling in Morocco last July. A special committee of meteorite experts, which includes some NASA scientists, confirmed the test results Tuesday certifying that the meteorites recently collected came from Mars. The biggest rock weighs more than 2 pounds. Astronomers think that millions of years ago something big smashed into Mars that sent fragments hurtling through the solar system. Occasionally, some fall on Earth."

23 of 95 comments (clear)

  1. No tripods? by roc97007 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Ok, someone had to say it.

    --
    Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
    1. Re:No tripods? by Tablizer · · Score: 2

      Nope, dipods. Budget cuts.

    2. Re:No tripods? by roc97007 · · Score: 2

      > Nope, dipods. Budget cuts.

      "This Thing I saw! How can I describe it? A monstrous tripod, higher than many houses, striding over... no wait... bipod... Staggering over... Aaaand, it just fell down. As a war machine, that doesn't seem very practical."

      Darned budget cuts.

      --
      Oliver's law of assumed responsibility: If you're seen fixing it, you will be blamed for breaking it.
    3. Re:No tripods? by Tablizer · · Score: 2

      Note that humans are dipod/bipod walkers, and we don't fall down, except maybe Gerold Ford.

  2. They Certainly Do Get Around by sehlat · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Like Webster's Dictionary They're Morocco Bound..."

  3. The chances of anything coming from Mars... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    are a million to one, he said.

  4. Re:The chances of anything coming from Mars... by Ransom1969 · · Score: 5, Informative

    These folks are quoting War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells, InternetGuy. It's a joke.

  5. It seems, by popeye44 · · Score: 4, Funny

    They put one heck of a throwing arm on those Rovers.

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    Inane Comments are Generously Disregarded
  6. FOOLS!!! by oldhack · · Score: 2

    THAT'S NO ROCK!!!

    (Ok, rest of you reply with some good stuff - I've got nothing)

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    Fuck systemd. Fuck Redhat. Fuck Soylent, too. Wait, scratch the last one.
  7. Re:And people wonder... by Microlith · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It takes a special kind of person to assume they're making blind judgements (like yourself) and not acting with evidence.

    how the heck do they know these rocks came from Mars?

    Who knows? We could find out, but you've already concluded that they're just making shit up so there's no point to investigating I suppose.

    I mean the moon is full of craters, so I assume it's been hit once or twice. And I'm sure a good hit could have sent such debris into long orbits.

    Lunar rocks have a very well known composition. I'm sure it's possible to discern between Lunar, Earth, Martian, and non-planetary rocks. But you've got no clue how nor have you looked up any possible means of identifying them so it's all just hokum, right?

    This is like me finding a pair of old eye glasses and exclaiming they must have been Ben Franklins since he wore eye glasses.

    Is it really? Do you suppose they would do something so stupid, when they could readily be countered?

    My brain hurts now. Thanks.

  8. Mars Attacks! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    K'Breel Jr. addresses the Council:

    "Council Members, Friends, Countrymen, Dad: A few Solar orbits ago, we set about on a secret project on the feasibility of attacking the Blue World, using a plan ("Robert Heinlein - The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress") devised by the Blue Worlders themselves. Today I am happy to report that our plan is a smashing success; we have dropped a few test rocks on a place called Morocco. The next phase of our plan involves more rocks, and much heavier rocks, aimed at all of the Blue World's space launching facilities! Glory to Mars! Glory to the Council! Glory to K'Breel!"

  9. Re:And people wonder... by omganton · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "Scientists have confirmed chemically..." This seems to sum it up pretty well. The constituents of Mars differ from that of Earth, the Moon, or any other rocky entity that we scan, test or study. We know the Moon was once a part of Earth because it shares similar chemical makeup to that of Earth. That being said, the eons that have passed, and more precisely, the organic alterations that have taken place on Earth have modified the chemical makeup of Earth's crust enough to differentiate between a sample collected here or there. While it could be coincidence, you could equate this to finding a MacDonald's cup across the street from McDonald's. Could it have come from another McDonald's? Sure, but it probably came from the closest one, and it sure as hell didn't come from the Burger King down the street.

  10. Re:And people wonder... by bmo · · Score: 5, Informative

    Because of their composition, numbnuts. You know, inorganic chemistry is a good place to start.

    Start here.

    https://www.google.com/search?client=opera&rls=en&q=mars+meteorites+minerals

    http://www.imca.cc/mars/martian-meteorites.htm

    Try reading something for a change instead of immediately dismissing things you don't instantly understand.

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    BMO

  11. Re:And people wonder... by R3d+M3rcury · · Score: 3, Informative

    Don't get me wrong, I agree with you. That said, it is worthwhile to question so-called experts to find out how they came to their conclusions, rather than saying, "Gosh, he's smarter than me--he's get letters after his name and everything!" At the very least, you learn something.

    Of course, if he had RTFA, he might have a clue about how these people determined that these rocks came from Mars:

    Scientists can tell when meteorites are from Mars because they know what the Martian atmosphere is made of, thanks to numerous probes sent there. The chemical signature of the rocks and the Martian air match, Irving said. Another clue is that because planets like Mars are more geologically active, its rocks tend to be much younger - millions of years old instead of hundreds of millions or more - than those from the moon or asteroids.

    So, no, it's not like they said, "A rock fell from the sky! It must have been from Mars!"

  12. Re:The chances of anything coming from Mars... by TheInternetGuy · · Score: 2

    >It wasn't before, but it probably is now.

    In the whispering voice of Sir David Attenborough:

    - What we are witnessing here is something truly amazing. Be real quiet now and you will see how a new internet meme is born into this world. The interesting thing about these memes, is that no one knows when they are born, how long they will live, but some have been known to be kept a live for extended periods of time in protected environments such as Slashdot. The chances of actually witnessing the birth of a meme, is so very rare it might just happen once in a million.

    --
    If my comment didn't sound as good in your head as it did in mine, then I guess we all know who's to blame
  13. Obligatory by Tablizer · · Score: 3, Funny

    In Soviet Russia, Mars lands on you.

  14. Re:And people wonder... by Tablizer · · Score: 3, Funny

    how the heck do they know these rocks came from Mars?

    Well, the "Made on Mars" label is one clue.
       

  15. Re:And people wonder... by mug+funky · · Score: 2

    why take advice that could enrich your life when you could check the post AC button and be a douchebag?

  16. Re:Had to.. by Tablizer · · Score: 2

    No! You shouldn't condone the throwing of overlords via solidified minerals. The overlords get bruised up and really ticked.

  17. Re:And people wonder... by icebike · · Score: 2

    Yes, because we all know that scientists never error and always agree.

    Science is not some priesthood that never has to explain to the people who pay their salaries, and need merely agree with themselves. If their explanation can't be communicated to your average college educated person than perhaps they have to rethink it.

    The chemical signature of the rocks and the Martian air match

    How many core samples of Mars do we have to determine the atmosphere centuries ago when these rocks were supposedly blasted from the martian surface? What the composition of the atmosphere is today has nothing to do with conditions at that time unless you assume an absolutely static planet.

    Mars are more geologically active, its rocks tend to be much younger

    How can you determine the age of a rock that was blasted from the surface by a meteor strike without resort to sample from the surrounding area. Such huge impacts can mimic a more recent formation as the rock is essentially melted and reformed in the ejecta.

    These scientists are GUESSING, and the others come along and use their guesses as a basis for claims that can't be proven, and which is all based on the original conjecture. There isn't a single rock on earth that can be stated with absolute certainty to have come from Mars. All we have is hard to explain rocks being found in hard to explain places.

    There were firm conclusion about the surface of the moon that were proven utterly false upon the return of moon rocks. The entire field of study was re-written by the return of the moon rocks. The history of Mars as we know it has been largely rewritten since the several landers have touched down. And still we are dealing with this planet at the end of a sensor stack, with no real material in hand.

    There is arrogance here, but its not to be found in the common man in the street asking questions. Its in the assumptions and flat out assertions that can't be proven, the utter arrogance of denying any responsibility to offer an explanation on the grounds that scientists are some how above having to do that.

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  18. Re:And people wonder... by RockDoctor · · Score: 2
    Do you remember when you were in junior school (under-11 age ; whatever you call it in your society) and the nice teacher said "here is your assignment of homework to be done before Friday's lesson in X" (for various values of "X").

    And you didn't do do your homework ; you came up with some pathetic excuse like blaming it on your dog digging your granny up so you had to have yet another granny-funeral. And the nice Ms Teacher castigated you in front of the class, calling you a lazy little so-and-so. And you felt bullied by Ms Teacher's unreasonable behaviour, and complained to Mummykins and Daddykins, who came to the school with their friend Mr Expensive from the company of Landshark and Ambulance-Chaser, Attorneys-at-Law ; and the expensive Mr Expensive forced Ms Teacher to apologise to you in front of the class and to pay him lots of money (a little money going to Mummykins and Daddykins, and a smidgin going to you).

    Well the teacher was right ; you, Mummykins and Daddykins, and Mr Expensive were all in the wrong (though it's just barely credible that only Mr Expensive knew that at the time). You should have learned to do your fucking homework.

    Now, in the words that the nice Ms Teacher should have used back then, "Fuck off and do your homework, you lazy little shit."

    I love the smell of education in the morning. [SFX : Ride of the Valkyries.]

    --
    Birds are not dinosaur descendants;birds are dinosaurs, for all useful meanings of "birds", "are" and "dinosaurs"
  19. Re:When? by eyenot · · Score: 2

    so they did a freeze frame, zoom in, and enhance on the rock and found the little sign that says "made in mars".

    --
    "Stratigraphically the origin of agriculture and thermonuclear destruction will appear essentially simultaneous" -- Lee
  20. Re:When? by mug+funky · · Score: 2

    finest quality!

    superior workmanship!