Slashdot Mirror


What "Earth-Shaking" Discovery Has Curiosity Made on Mars?

Randym writes "NASA scientists have some exciting new results from one of the rover's instruments. On the one hand, they'd like to tell everybody what they found, but on the other, they have to wait because they want to make sure their results are not just some fluke or error in their instrument. The exciting results are coming from an instrument in the rover called SAM. 'We're getting data from SAM as we sit here and speak, and the data looks really interesting,' says John Grotzinger. He's the principal investigator for the rover mission. SAM (Sample Analysis at Mars) is a suite of instruments onboard NASA's Mars Science Laboratory rover, Curiosity. Grotzinger says they recently put a soil sample in SAM, and the analysis shows something Earth-shaking. 'This data is gonna be one for the history books. It's looking really good,' he says."

544 comments

  1. I really hope... by thestudio_bob · · Score: 0, Redundant

    I really hope that they actually have something this time and it's not another "science" flop.

    --
    The real Sig captains the Northwestern. This one captains /.
    1. Re:I really hope... by aldousd666 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      It may yet be a scientific triumph, but a public opinion flop. Or a thestudio_bob flop.

      --
      Speak for yourself.
    2. Re:I really hope... by somersault · · Score: 5, Funny

      I bet it turns out that Mars is made of:

      Sugar, Glucose Syrup, Skimmed Milk Powder, Milk Fat, Vegetable Fat, Cocoa Butter, Cocoa Mass, Lactose, Demineralised Whey Powder, Fat Reduced Cocoa Powder, Barley Malt Extract, Soya Lecithin (E322), Salt, Egg White, Hydrolysed Milk Protein, Natural Vanilla Flavour

      --
      which is totally what she said
    3. Re:I really hope... by hcs_$reboot · · Score: 2

      Elections are over. So they probably have something, this time.

      --
      Slashdot, fix the reply notifications... You won't get away with it...
    4. Re:I really hope... by jythie · · Score: 4, Insightful

      That seems likely. A public fed on movies tends to not think real world discoveries are exciting enough.

    5. Re:I really hope... by telchine · · Score: 2

      I bet they've found Sandkings

    6. Re:I really hope... by beelsebob · · Score: 4, Funny

      Uh no... Mars bars >.

    7. Re:I really hope... by Ukab+the+Great · · Score: 4, Funny

      I do not like green cheese, SAM I am.

    8. Re:I really hope... by alcmaeon · · Score: 1

      Excellent! Mod this up.

    9. Re:I really hope... by JustOK · · Score: 5, Funny

      Same thing, different configuration options.

      --
      rewriting history since 2109
    10. Re:I really hope... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Moon landing. Decades after it happened, lots of people have a hard time believing it actually happened.

    11. Re:I really hope... by GNious · · Score: 1

      Sorry, what part of

      Cocoa Butter, Cocoa Mass,

      made you think Twinkis? :)

    12. Re:I really hope... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      Those people are retards though and shouldnt be counted for anything.

    13. Re:I really hope... by Hoi+Polloi · · Score: 4, Funny

      That's nothing, I could tell you what the Milky Way is made of.

      --
      It is by the juice of the coffee bean that thoughts acquire speed, the teeth acquire stains. The stains become a warning
    14. Re:I really hope... by Impy+the+Impiuos+Imp · · Score: 5, Funny

      Well, there are only two Earth-shaking possible discoveries: life on Mars, or intelligent life on Mars

      Or evidence of either in the past.

      Or Roman helmets, that would work, too.

      --
      (-1: Post disagrees with my already-settled worldview) is not a valid mod option.
    15. Re:I really hope... by Quiet_Desperation · · Score: 1

      Be fair, though. Some of the discoveries are ones that you have to be a hard core geology nut to care about. Or they can state for a fact that there was water on the surface at some point in the last thousand or so millennia. Or they discover something about the local soil composition, and the only thing of interest about it is that we now know what it is. Ultimately, it's still just some dirt.

    16. Re:I really hope... by kybred · · Score: 3, Insightful

      That's nothing, I could tell you what the Milky Way is made of.

      Here's the list of ingredients.

    17. Re:I really hope... by jlunavtgrad · · Score: 1

      Hydrogen, time. http://xkcd.com/1123/

    18. Re:I really hope... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Moon landing. Decades after it happened, lots of people have a hard time believing it actually happened.

      Of course it didn't. Neither did this.

    19. Re:I really hope... by tgd · · Score: 2

      Same thing, different configuration options.

      Problem is, they're compile-time, not run-time.

    20. Re:I really hope... by Joce640k · · Score: 1

      Some of the discoveries are ones that you have to be a hard core geology nut to care about....ultimately, it's still just some dirt.

      Unless it's coal.

      --
      No sig today...
    21. Re:I really hope... by jittles · · Score: 3, Funny

      American or European?

    22. Re:I really hope... by neokushan · · Score: 1

      I'd like to hear more about what supposedly "really" happened? I mean, I can possibly understand why people would think the moon landing was a hoax (it's almost too fantastical to believe), but you're saying there's people out there that believed it happened but just not the way we were told? What was different, what were we not told about (or lied to about) and how does that change things?

      --
      +1 IDisagreeSoHeMustBeATrollOrAnAstroturferOrAShill
    23. Re:I really hope... by compro01 · · Score: 1

      They do/did make chocolate-filled twinkies.

      --
      upon the advice of my lawyer, i have no sig at this time
    24. Re:I really hope... by sycodon · · Score: 1

      Who knows.

      -1 Redundant mod...bummer.

      --
      When Fascism comes to America, it will call itself Anti-Fascism, and tell you to give up your guns.
    25. Re:I really hope... by crazyjj · · Score: 4, Insightful

      The problem with evidence of life is that it's usually something along the lines of "POSSIBLE evidence of life, *maybe* (or possibly not)" And that's the kind of thing that will produce sensationalist "Life Found on Mars!" headlines in the press, but which will likely be followed by the inevitable "Turns out what they found probably wasn't jackshit" disappointment--which will only turn the public even more skeptical of the usefulness of these sorts of missions in the future.

      Now Roman helmets, on the other hand...

      --
      What political party do you join when you don't like Bible-thumpers *or* hippies?
    26. Re:I really hope... by crazyjj · · Score: 1

      Yes, AC, that is what we call a joke. It's not meant to be taken exactly literally.

      --
      What political party do you join when you don't like Bible-thumpers *or* hippies?
    27. Re:I really hope... by geekoid · · Score: 1

      Coal would be excellent. They we would have a local source of energy...plus proof of life millions of years ago.

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
    28. Re:I really hope... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      First alien life contact theory, which also explains the race to get there first.

    29. Re:I really hope... by bhagwad · · Score: 1

      Do explain. Pleeeeeeeeeeez!

    30. Re:I really hope... by ArcadeMan · · Score: 1

      You know what scares me? The fact that I already knew what it was before clicking on the link.

    31. Re:I really hope... by guttentag · · Score: 2

      Now Congress will be reluctant to approve funding of further missions to Mars because all the fashion mags are telling voters that Mars is fattening and unsuitable for the lactose-intolerant, diabetics, and people with egg and soy allergies. Fantastic. You've just set the space program back 50 years.

    32. Re:I really hope... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      I saw a "documentary" about this, something about Transformers and the dark side of the moon...

    33. Re:I really hope... by khallow · · Score: 1

      Roughly a quarter helium as well and traces of other elements (particularly lithium) which I guess you could dump in the catchall, "seasonings and spices". It gets more interesting when you consider isotope spread as well.

    34. Re:I really hope... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      I think this is likely if you carefully parse the following quote from TFA!

      "The science team is busily chewing away on it as it comes down," says Grotzinger.

      See? Prohibited from saying what the data is, Grotzinger couldn't help himself and gave the public a morsel of a hint while quietly snickering to himself.

    35. Re:I really hope... by mally_wally · · Score: 1

      it's OJ's other glove.

    36. Re:I really hope... by Columcille · · Score: 5, Funny

      Something about a giant black monolith full of stars.

      --
      I love my sig.
    37. Re:I really hope... by michelcolman · · Score: 1

      On Mars, arsenic can travel faster than light!

    38. Re:I really hope... by ygslash · · Score: 1

      Based on past experience, I think it will probably be indeed very interesting, but not "earth-shaking" for most people.

    39. Re:I really hope... by Dekker3D · · Score: 3, Interesting

      No oxygen to burn it with. The biggest reason coal is so useful on Earth is because it reacts with the ever-abundant oxygen in the air to make warmth (which can be used for power with some more materials)

    40. Re:I really hope... by hawguy · · Score: 1

      Time is not an ingredient.

      The truly universal ingredient list would be: "Protons, Neutrons, Electrons"

      I thought the universal ingredient list was quarks and electrons?

    41. Re:I really hope... by kenaaker · · Score: 5, Informative
      Actually coal, or any carbon source, wouldn't be a usable energy source, since there's very little free oxygen on Mars.

      Discovering free oxygen would be a very big deal, but extremely unlikely. The only reason there is free oxygen on Earth is because early life started some sort of photosynthesis and starting giving off oxygen as a waste product that had the side effect of poisoning all their bacterial competitors. That event is known as the "Oxygen Catastrophe".

    42. Re:I really hope... by Ol+Biscuitbarrel · · Score: 1

      That's a great short story too.

    43. Re:I really hope... by SleazyRidr · · Score: 4, Funny

      Prohibited from saying what the data is, Grotzinger couldn't help himself and gave the public a morsel of a hint while quietly snickering to himself.

      I see what you did there.

    44. Re:I really hope... by telchine · · Score: 2, Funny

      You know what scares me? The fact that I already knew what it was before clicking on the link.

      It could be that you're psychic, but in order to be sure, we'll need to repeat the experiment. Can you guess what's on the other side of this link?

      goatse.cx

    45. Re:I really hope... by Iniamyen · · Score: 1

      Protein shake?

    46. Re:I really hope... by Dr_Barnowl · · Score: 1

      It's all made of string.

    47. Re:I really hope... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      it all gets decompiled into the same crap.

    48. Re:I really hope... by alva_edison · · Score: 1

      Leptons, Quarks, and Gauge Bosons?

      --
      He effected a bored affect.
    49. Re:I really hope... by slashmydots · · Score: 4, Funny

      Something like that would be more of a Mars-shaking discovery. Speaking of that, who says they're not meaning it literally? They found something on Mars that shakes the planet Earth. Like it causes earthquakes or something, lol.

    50. Re:I really hope... by jythie · · Score: 1

      Hrm. I wonder if there is some other chemical reaction that could be utilized to release the energy without oxygen... or how expensive it might be to convert the C02 into oxygen for burning... or more importantly would some kind of solar Co2=>Oxygen setup (read: big tank biomass) then combining coal and 02 be more efficient then current solar panels?

    51. Re:I really hope... by snadrus · · Score: 2

      I'd go for another few compounds that would make it easy for us to live there.

      --
      Science & open-source build trust from peer review. Learn systems you can trust.
    52. Re:I really hope... by jdray · · Score: 2

      Maybe they found the other end of Archimedes' lever.

      --
      The Spoon
      Updated 6/28/2011
    53. Re:I really hope... by SomePgmr · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Negative. It's turtles all the way down.

    54. Re:I really hope... by jdray · · Score: 2

      Well, there's always the Sabatier process, which requires hydrogen (found in the coal) and some heat, combined with some chaperoning from Auntie Ruthenium under lots of pressure, to produce oxygen and methane, which can in turn be burned to produce carbon dioxide and water, the former being vented to atmosphere and the latter being retained for drinking, watering plants, etc.

      --
      The Spoon
      Updated 6/28/2011
    55. Re:I really hope... by schnogg · · Score: 2

      There is a third option: Intelligent life on Earth.

      --
      i just put in /. and nothing happens - ??
    56. Re:I really hope... by Nethemas+the+Great · · Score: 1

      Trouble is that their evidence for that falls within the statistical margin of error.

      --
      Two of my imaginary friends reproduced once ... with negative results.
    57. Re:I really hope... by PIBM · · Score: 1

      We'd have a hard time finding someone who don't around here ..

    58. Re:I really hope... by Nadaka · · Score: 1

      Sorry, but when science figures out that an assumption is wrong. It is a victory, not a flop. Even if the assumption would have been cool to be true.

    59. Re:I really hope... by Nadaka · · Score: 2

      I thought for sure that with the "earth shaking" comment, they would announce that they detected an earthquake, demonstrating that mars is still geologically active.

    60. Re:I really hope... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      ...or the original scrolls of Homer's Iliad wrapped in Hockenberrys underpants.

    61. Re:I really hope... by Nethemas+the+Great · · Score: 1

      I suspect that any means of producing Oxygen for the purpose of a fuel oxidizer would be a net negative gain. However, perhaps they could find fluorspar (fluorite) in sufficient concentrations to make it an interesting candiate for an alternate to oxygen.

      --
      Two of my imaginary friends reproduced once ... with negative results.
    62. Re:I really hope... by Khyber · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Actually coal, or any carbon source, wouldn't be a usable energy source, since there's very little free oxygen on Mars.

      Discovering free oxygen would be a very big deal, but extremely unlikely. The only reason there is free oxygen on Earth is because early life started some sort of photosynthesis and starting giving off oxygen as a waste product that had the side effect of poisoning all their bacterial competitors. That event is known as the "Oxygen Catastrophe".

      Hi, my name is iron oxide, I'm all over mars (in fact I give the planet its characteristic red color) and make a great accelerator for thermite and other high-energy thermal reactions.

      Free oxygen is everywhere. You just gotta get it from me, first.

      --
      Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
    63. Re:I really hope... by jjsimp · · Score: 1

      Are you refering to the movie Apollo 18.

    64. Re:I really hope... by khallow · · Score: 2

      Discovering free oxygen would be a very big deal

      How about the perchlorates that we already know exist on Mars? Some of those only need to be heated up a little to create free oxygen.

    65. Re:I really hope... by geoffball · · Score: 1

      They're still trying to figure out how to explain the fact that Martians really enjoyed hardcore porn.

    66. Re:I really hope... by McDrewbs · · Score: 1

      I saw that one, it had Thor in it.

    67. Re:I really hope... by pitchpipe · · Score: 1

      Well, there are only two Earth-shaking possible discoveries: life on Mars, or intelligent life on Mars

      So, either they've found Rick Santorum, or Newt Gingrich.

      --
      Look where all this talking got us, baby.
    68. Re:I really hope... by ArcadeMan · · Score: 1

      I don't even need to click on that link to write the following reply:

      MY EYES! THE GOOGLES DO NOTHING!

    69. Re:I really hope... by ArcadeMan · · Score: 1

      Did I just write "GOOGLES"? :rolleyes:

      Damn you Slashdot and your no editing policy! We should at least have a window of 30 seconds to edit a post for typos and other lame errors.

    70. Re:I really hope... by Danathar · · Score: 1

      Actually, discovering that the whole planet has a layer of GOLD just under the surface might motivate people to invest in the space program....

    71. Re:I really hope... by Nyder · · Score: 1

      Actually coal, or any carbon source, wouldn't be a usable energy source, since there's very little free oxygen on Mars.

      Discovering free oxygen would be a very big deal, but extremely unlikely. The only reason there is free oxygen on Earth is because early life started some sort of photosynthesis and starting giving off oxygen as a waste product that had the side effect of poisoning all their bacterial competitors. That event is known as the "Oxygen Catastrophe".

      Hi, my name is iron oxide, I'm all over mars (in fact I give the planet its characteristic red color) and make a great accelerator for thermite and other high-energy thermal reactions.

      Free oxygen is everywhere. You just gotta get it from me, first.

      Doesn't sound free if you have to deal with Iron first.

      --
      Be seeing you...
    72. Re:I really hope... by R3d+M3rcury · · Score: 2

      I was thinking of A figurehead from an 18th century sailing ship. Or maybe they found some 5 airplanes.

    73. Re:I really hope... by jo_ham · · Score: 4, Informative

      Actually coal, or any carbon source, wouldn't be a usable energy source, since there's very little free oxygen on Mars.

      Discovering free oxygen would be a very big deal, but extremely unlikely. The only reason there is free oxygen on Earth is because early life started some sort of photosynthesis and starting giving off oxygen as a waste product that had the side effect of poisoning all their bacterial competitors. That event is known as the "Oxygen Catastrophe".

      Hi, my name is iron oxide, I'm all over mars (in fact I give the planet its characteristic red color) and make a great accelerator for thermite and other high-energy thermal reactions.

      Free oxygen is everywhere. You just gotta get it from me, first.

      He did not mean free as in beer. He meant free as in "not covalently bonded to other elements at the bottom of a huge thermodynamically stable well".

    74. Re:I really hope... by TWX · · Score: 1

      WOW!

      --
      Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
    75. Re:I really hope... by BonThomme · · Score: 2

      same here. I wonder how many others on this site did as well.

    76. Re:I really hope... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Too late. Curiosity already did the atmospheric analysis, and there is free oxygen in it. A bit less than a percent or so, but definitely non-zero.

    77. Re:I really hope... by Mr2cents · · Score: 2

      Curiosity rover confirms: Mars soil tastes like dirt!

      --
      "It's too bad that stupidity isn't painful." - Anton LaVey
    78. Re:I really hope... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

      The oxygen in iron oxide isn't free. It's quite tightly bound. To get it to react, you need to mix it with something that binds the oxygen even more tightly: for example, aluminium (to make thermite).

      There's no aluminium on Mars (at least, aluminium that isn't already bound into minerals).

    79. Re:I really hope... by OrangeTide · · Score: 1

      Hydrogen, natural and artificial flavors.

      --
      “Common sense is not so common.” — Voltaire
    80. Re:I really hope... by Roachie · · Score: 1

      E-a-t-y-o-u-r-o-v-a-l-t-i-n-e.

      --
      This sig is not paradoxical or ironic.
    81. Re: I really hope... by jalvarez13 · · Score: 1

      That would be awesome. Then we could bring it back to search for intelligent life on THIS planet!

    82. Re:I really hope... by Billlagr · · Score: 1

      Well a bigger problem than oxygen, is getting the 18th century orphans with cockney accents there to mine it.

    83. Re:I really hope... by Rei · · Score: 1

      One can burn carbon with iron oxide. That's known as smelting. It's how we make iron.

      Of course this whole discussion is moot because they're not going to announce finds of "coal on mars".

      --
      GIVE US THE CUTTLEFISH!
    84. Re:I really hope... by avgjoe62 · · Score: 1

      No, the summary said "Earth-shaking" news. We only pull Marvin out for "Earth-shattering" news...

      --

      How come Slashdot never gets Slashdotted?

    85. Re:I really hope... by Rei · · Score: 1

      Nope, gold isn't nearly valuable enough to justify the return costs.

      Probably the most valuable things to be found on Mars, assuming there's no trace of past or present life, would be gemstone-quality minerals not for their metal content, but of structures that are rare on Earth (painite, blue garnet, red beryl, etc - 5-6 figures per gram) or nonexistant on Earth (6-7 figures per gram). Gold prices are only 2 figures per gram. Of course just the fact that something is from Mars would make it immensely valuable on its own, even just a chunk of iron oxide. The only metals that could justify their acquisition and return costs on their own are if there was a natural nuclear reactor on Mars producing and concentrating some of the "manmade", rarer nuclear isotopes. Which isn't as crazy as it sounds.
       

      --
      GIVE US THE CUTTLEFISH!
    86. Re:I really hope... by C18H27NO3+ · · Score: 1

      There is a third option: Intelligent life on Earth.

      Now you're just being silly.

    87. Re:I really hope... by dgatwood · · Score: 1

      And then Hillary said, "Good plan. You bring the rocket. I'll bring Santorum."

      --

      Check out my sci-fi/humor trilogy at PatriotsBooks.

    88. Re:I really hope... by dgatwood · · Score: 1

      Eventually, some of the rare earth metals used in electronics manufacturing may be depleted to the point where this would make sense to avoid a technological event horizon of sorts. At that point, there would be advantages to also bringing back large quantities of gold, copper, lithium, and possibly aluminum in the same shipment (since the overhead for transporting stuff from Mars is huge, and the cost of leaving empty space in the cargo hold is equally huge).

      --

      Check out my sci-fi/humor trilogy at PatriotsBooks.

    89. Re:I really hope... by dgatwood · · Score: 1

      Can you guess what's on the other side of this link?

      goatse.cx [goatse.cx]

      Is it a black hole?

      --

      Check out my sci-fi/humor trilogy at PatriotsBooks.

    90. Re:I really hope... by Gavagai80 · · Score: 1

      Strong evidence of marsquakes has already been observed. Doesn't come from soil samples though.

      --
      This space intentionally left blank
    91. Re:I really hope... by Quiet_Desperation · · Score: 1

      Or lapis. For some reason I love finding lapis in Minecraft even though its only purpose is making blue blocks as accent decorations.

    92. Re:I really hope... by Linuxmagic · · Score: 1

      Actually, they find out the colour is from the Gold! Now we have a reason to privatize Mars Missions

    93. Re:I really hope... by cthulhu11 · · Score: 1

      Given the affected spelling, I'm going with European.

    94. Re:I really hope... by jittles · · Score: 2

      Given the affected spelling, I'm going with European.

      That was a reference to Monty Python's African or European Sparrows in The Quest For The Holy Grail... Or as the locals say: "Woooosh!"

    95. Re:I really hope... by cthulhu11 · · Score: 1

      I'm well aware of that, son.

    96. Re:I really hope... by Khyber · · Score: 1

      Actually, given the prior volcanic history, I wouldn't be totally surprised to find some sort of hydrocarbon deposit under the surface. I wouldn't necessarily say coal, but perhaps some form of natural gas.

      --
      Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
    97. Re:I really hope... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Maybe they found a Nazi V2 rocket from WWII?

    98. Re:I really hope... by Rei · · Score: 1

      Copper? *Lithium*? **Aluminum**? Were these entries jokes?

      --
      GIVE US THE CUTTLEFISH!
    99. Re:I really hope... by holmstar · · Score: 1

      And in the process, you would get anhydrous magnesium chloride, which could be used to produce magnesium metal. Great for making lightweight vehicles, such as space craft, rovers etc. Of course, you would also end up with a bunch of chlorine. Not sure what a colony would need that for.

  2. Obviously they are trying to build hype by iYk6 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I predict that the results are accurate, but not nearly as exciting as NASA is trying to get us to believe.

    1. Re:Obviously they are trying to build hype by Anne_Nonymous · · Score: 5, Funny

      >> This data is gonna be one for the history books

      It turns out that new improved Choco-Pops are now more chocolatey than ever!

    2. Re:Obviously they are trying to build hype by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Remember NASA building excitement over "alien life?"

      Don't hold your breath on this one either.

    3. Re:Obviously they are trying to build hype by gman003 · · Score: 4, Funny

      Thanks to the newest data from Curiosity, NASA has finally determined, with 99% confidence, why kids love Cinnamon Toast Crunch.

    4. Re:Obviously they are trying to build hype by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Interesting

      This is at least the 10th response related to food. You guys hungry or something?

    5. Re:Obviously they are trying to build hype by Quiet_Desperation · · Score: 1

      Not possible. That would push them beyond the chocolatey event horizon because, um, string theory.

    6. Re:Obviously they are trying to build hype by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I predict the results will be disproven in three months and the original hype deleted from every record NASA can influence.

    7. Re:Obviously they are trying to build hype by Gilmoure · · Score: 4, Funny

      Lots of folks posting from CO and WA?

      --
      I drank what? -- Socrates
    8. Re:Obviously they are trying to build hype by McGruber · · Score: 2

      Pass the Ketchup, Dad.

    9. Re:Obviously they are trying to build hype by jamstar7 · · Score: 2

      This is at least the 10th response related to food. You guys hungry or something?

      No, just pissed off that Twinkies are going the way of the Dodo. Damned things last forever, and if you eat enough of them, the preservatives oughta keep YOU alive forever too.

      --
      Understanding the scope of the problem is the first step on the path to true panic.
    10. Re:Obviously they are trying to build hype by tgd · · Score: 2

      I predict that the results are accurate, but not nearly as exciting as media is trying to get us to believe.

      Fixed that for you.

    11. Re:Obviously they are trying to build hype by Damastus+the+WizLiz · · Score: 2

      Twinkies have a shelf life of about 25 days. DAYS not years. Besides anyone with any real taste knows its the Hostess cupcakes that should be mourned, not twinkies.

      --
      I often have trouble remembering which way is out of bed in the morning.
    12. Re:Obviously they are trying to build hype by Anrego · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Totally this.

      It's probably going to be along the lines of evidence that there might have been some specific trace element at one point which may indicate the existence of water or microbacterial life at one point. In other words, something that is both a major discovery and extremely boring to the large majority of the population (including geeks) at the same time.

    13. Re:Obviously they are trying to build hype by crazyjj · · Score: 2, Funny

      If they're so smart, they would have been able to finally find out how many licks it takes to get to the tootsie roll center of a Tootsie Pop.

      --
      What political party do you join when you don't like Bible-thumpers *or* hippies?
    14. Re:Obviously they are trying to build hype by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No. It's the pies. Definitely the pies.

      The good news is they're doing arbitration -- they're not dead yet.

    15. Re:Obviously they are trying to build hype by chucklebutte · · Score: 0

      Raspberry Zingers FTW!

    16. Re:Obviously they are trying to build hype by OldeTimeGeek · · Score: 1

      We already know. It's three.

    17. Re:Obviously they are trying to build hype by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They found microscopic writing on bits of crushed rock. They have gathered enough samples to reconstruct a partial passage of text and have a preliminary translation. They are waiting for an independent confirmation of the translation but sources close to the translation team say the message reads: "Be sure to drink your Ovaltine".

    18. Re:Obviously they are trying to build hype by ArcadeMan · · Score: 3, Funny

      The good news is they're doing arbitration -- they're not dead yet.

      I heard they were feeling happy and wanted to go for a walk.

    19. Re:Obviously they are trying to build hype by tomthegeek · · Score: 1

      It's a new soda machine!

    20. Re:Obviously they are trying to build hype by natophonic · · Score: 1

      I predict that they're trying to line up an appearance from Giorgio A. Tsoukalos at their press conference, but the fee negotiations are getting out of hand.

    21. Re:Obviously they are trying to build hype by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I predict that the results are accurate, but not nearly as exciting as NASA is trying to get us to believe.

      You will find out that bugs bunny stopped Marvin "The Martian" from destroying Earth - in order to get a better view of the stars.

    22. Re:Obviously they are trying to build hype by Rogerborg · · Score: 3, Funny

      Metric or Imperial licks?

      --
      If you were blocking sigs, you wouldn't have to read this.
    23. Re:Obviously they are trying to build hype by camperdave · · Score: 2

      I predict that the results are accurate, but not nearly as exciting as media is trying to get us to believe.

      Fixed that for you.

      No... The original was correct too.

      --
      When our name is on the back of your car, we're behind you all the way!
    24. Re:Obviously they are trying to build hype by LurkerXXX · · Score: 1

      Yes, I hope this is a lot better science then their 'Arsenic DNA' press parade. NASA does some awesome stuff, but they also try to get a lot of press for some real crap from time to time, but usually that's when they are doing biology rather than astronomy. I hope this isn't a bio finding. If so, don't get excited until real biologists get a good gander at it.

    25. Re:Obviously they are trying to build hype by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      BE SURE TO DRINK YOUR OVALTINE

      Filter error: Don't use so many caps. It's like YELLING.

    26. Re:Obviously they are trying to build hype by Squidlips · · Score: 1

      Exciting to a geologist...probably some sort of sedimentary rock dust. I am trying to think of rocks that would excite geologists...maybe silica, opal, carbonate, shale, wait, wait CLAY... Maybe SAM found clay! Not too surprising considering MSL's location, but a nice find anyway. If so, MSL will beat Opportunity to the clay...

    27. Re:Obviously they are trying to build hype by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      three

    28. Re:Obviously they are trying to build hype by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      or how they got the caramel into the caramilk bar..

    29. Re:Obviously they are trying to build hype by doconnor · · Score: 2

      The previous rovers established existence of past water.

      Showing the existence of past microbial life on Mars would be a big deal.

      Given that it was found in soil instead of rock and how early in the mission it is suggest it is current microbial life that they found.

      Microbacterial would probably not be the right term for life on Mars. Bacteria is on of the three domains of life on Earth. Life on Mars would have its own domains (unless life on Earth originated on Mars)

    30. Re:Obviously they are trying to build hype by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      But we already know that answer: 3

    31. Re:Obviously they are trying to build hype by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Be sure to drink your Ovaltine" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdA__2tKoIU

    32. Re:Obviously they are trying to build hype by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      How many licks it takes to get to the center of a tootsie-roll pop?
      A-one... A-two... A-three...

      What would we do without science?

    33. Re:Obviously they are trying to build hype by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 5, Funny

      The timing of the Hostess bankruptcy/closing announcement was a bit odd. It's a Washington company - you'd think they might want to wait and see whether marijuana legalization could resurrect their business!

      --
      #DeleteChrome
    34. Re:Obviously they are trying to build hype by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sure, but even NASA can't see WHY kids love Cinnamon Toast Crunch!

    35. Re:Obviously they are trying to build hype by Old+Wolf · · Score: 1

      It's probably going to be along the lines of evidence that there might have been some specific trace element at one point which may indicate the existence of water or microbacterial life at one point>

      Sounds about right. Last time NASA hyped a big discovery it turned out just to be the some bugs had arsenic in their DNA. (woot?)

    36. Re:Obviously they are trying to build hype by Jane+Q.+Public · · Score: 2

      Been there, done that. We already know there's clay. That's what water-formed sediment IS. Well, for the most part anyway. And Curiosity is right in the middle of a large section of it.

    37. Re:Obviously they are trying to build hype by im_thatoneguy · · Score: 2

      Yeah, the last 'earth shattering' discovery was that there was probably most definitely liquid water in the past.

      Which was kind of ... meh.

    38. Re:Obviously they are trying to build hype by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's a double edged sword.

      1) The Union would want more money (making it harder to get out of Bankruptcy)
      2) The Union workers would be stoned at work (productivity would fall, increasing costs per unit produced).

    39. Re:Obviously they are trying to build hype by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Last time I ate some martian soil, my poop curled up and touched my scrotum which is kinda ick.

    40. Re:Obviously they are trying to build hype by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Guess the twinky sugar fix hasn't worn off yet

    41. Re:Obviously they are trying to build hype by Talderas · · Score: 1

      So you're saying that NASA forgot that Curiosity was in the middle of a clay field and is getting excited about it?

      --
      "Lack of speed can be overcome. In the worst case by patience." --Znork
    42. Re:Obviously they are trying to build hype by Squidlips · · Score: 2

      WRONG! "They" are not trying to anything of the kind. There was no official (or otherwise) announcement of any SAM results. Not a peep. This whole ridiculous issue was based on a simple, offhand, ambiguous remark by Grotzinger. I am SURE that Grotz seriously regrets saying anything to Palca.

    43. Re:Obviously they are trying to build hype by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not trivial or boring if they found amino acids of opposite chirality to ours.

    44. Re:Obviously they are trying to build hype by Alsee · · Score: 1

      I found some leaked data returned by the SAM imager system:
      Linky linky

      -

      --
      - - You can't take something off the Internet! That's like trying to take pee out of a swimming pool.
    45. Re:Obviously they are trying to build hype by davewoods · · Score: 1

      Can you convert to LOC?

    46. Re:Obviously they are trying to build hype by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It's probably going to be along the lines of evidence that there might have been some specific trace element at one point which may indicate the existence of water or microbacterial life at one point>

      Sounds about right. Last time NASA hyped a big discovery it turned out just to be the some bugs had arsenic in their DNA. (woot?)

      Which ended up being wrong.

  3. None by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "Mars Shaking?" Maybe. "Earth Shaking?" Not so much.

  4. The have found more Mars faces by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The original face of Mars actually was made and they have found other "alien"-made faces on Mars

    1. Re:The have found more Mars faces by Titan1080 · · Score: 1

      Yeah. from a soil sample.

    2. Re:The have found more Mars faces by Captain+Hook · · Score: 1

      That just shows the martians technical skills, they can manipulate objects on the Macro and Micro scales and make 2 seperate objects exact scale replicas of each other.

      --
      These comments are my personal opinions and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the other voices in my head.
    3. Re:The have found more Mars faces by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Perhaps they're very small faces?

  5. "Earth"-shaking? by tirerim · · Score: 1, Informative

    Mars-shaking seems much more likely than Earth-shaking, really.

    1. Re:"Earth"-shaking? by i+kan+reed · · Score: 5, Funny

      Where is the earth-shattering kaboom? There was supposed to be an earth-shattering kaboom.

    2. Re:"Earth"-shaking? by Ken_g6 · · Score: 1

      Maybe they discovered that soil at that location matches a meteorite that made a large crater on Earth? I can't think of any other way a discovery on Mars could be literally Earth-shaking.

      --
      (T>t && O(n)--) == sqrt(666)
    3. Re:"Earth"-shaking? by Sabathius · · Score: 1

      Ok, there, Marvin.

    4. Re:"Earth"-shaking? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They could have discovered that Mars is leaving its orbit and approaching Earth. However, they probably would not detect that through chemical analyses.

    5. Re:"Earth"-shaking? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Haven't the Msyan's been predicting this "Earth"-shaking for years?

    6. Re:"Earth"-shaking? by udoschuermann · · Score: 2

      No boom today. Boom tomorrow.

      --
      --Udo.
    7. Re:"Earth"-shaking? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Oh my god, they've discovered an undetonated Illudium Q36 Explosive Space Modulator! We're all gonna die!

    8. Re:"Earth"-shaking? by Jason+Levine · · Score: 1

      Maybe Marvin Martian should hire Frank Doyle. He does some good work making big booms for the Mythbusters.

      --
      My sci-fi novel, Ghost Thief, is now available from Amazon.com.
    9. Re:"Earth"-shaking? by doconnor · · Score: 1

      The information has always been just sitting there on Mars. It's no big deal there.

      It could make a big difference when the information is available on Earth.

    10. Re:"Earth"-shaking? by Cow+Jones · · Score: 1

      No boom today.
      Boom tomorrow.
      There's always a boom tomorrow.

      --

      Ah, arrogance and stupidity, all in the same package. How efficient of you. -- Londo Mollari
    11. Re:"Earth"-shaking? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The meteorite had a round cap on the top that unscrewed and alien beings came out, but they were all eaten by bacteria before anyone noticed that they'd arrived.

    12. Re:"Earth"-shaking? by destinyland · · Score: 1

      I bet it's just a pun. They found evidence of past earthquakes, so the news WILL be "earth shaking."

    13. Re:"Earth"-shaking? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Delays...delays

  6. Aliens? by Linsaran · · Score: 3, Interesting

    If so, let me be the first to say I welcome our new martian overlords. Just please don't be the wussy kind of martians that die easilyto earth's microbial organisms.

    --
    In a bit of shameless internet panhandling, I accept Litecoin Donations at Lbd2oH9QsthD1GfuUXPyka12YxvWJYnBVf
    1. Re:Aliens? by glaurungn · · Score: 2

      or to the sound of Indian Love Call

    2. Re:Aliens? by nozzo · · Score: 1

      Seconded. and yes what a FAIL you'd have thought when they were making their green-mist powered screw-top capsules they'd have spared a thought for Earthly microbes.

    3. Re:Aliens? by cod3r_ · · Score: 2

      PLEASEEEE BE ALIENS>>> if it's not aliens I will call it a dumb flob and join a religion so that I can say the entire thing is made up all the way up to mars doesn't even exist.

    4. Re:Aliens? by crazyjj · · Score: 1

      Don't worry, we can always defeat them with our Macbook viruses.

      --
      What political party do you join when you don't like Bible-thumpers *or* hippies?
    5. Re:Aliens? by sconeu · · Score: 1

      Meanwhile, the rest of the planet eagerly awaits the word of K'Breel and the Council.

      --
      General Relativity: Space-time tells matter where to go; Matter tells space-time what shape to be.
    6. Re:Aliens? by Capt.DrumkenBum · · Score: 1

      That was a Powerbook, not a Macbook you philistine. :)

      --
      If I were God, wouldn't I protect my churches from acts of me?
    7. Re:Aliens? by crazyjj · · Score: 1

      They don't make Powerbooks anymore. We'd have to use Macbooks.

      --
      What political party do you join when you don't like Bible-thumpers *or* hippies?
    8. Re:Aliens? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I never understood why *that*, of all things, got picked on so much. Would it have been *more* believable if they'd used a Dell, running Windows?

      Face it. If you've had long enough to study a computer system, and you can build a hardware interface device, you can write the software to communicate on *any* platform. All it had to do was connect to the system, and upload a file. Hell, a PalmOS 2.0 device would have been just as capable of that job. Or your typical (not American) dumb-phone from the late 1990s.

    9. Re:Aliens? by MichaelSmith · · Score: 1

      Actual living aliens would be a little to big a story for NASA to be promoting it in this way.

    10. Re:Aliens? by MichaelSmith · · Score: 1

      Then we are screwed.

    11. Re:Aliens? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Meanwhile, the rest of the planet eagerly awaits the word of K'Breel and the Council.

      My bet is it's some form of evidence of saline water on the planet. Probably not in colloidal form, but since the invasion started, there's sure been a lotta gelsacs strewn about the Martian landscape.

    12. Re:Aliens? by HeckRuler · · Score: 1

      Dead aliens would be too big of a story for NASA to be promoting in this way.

    13. Re:Aliens? by tragedy · · Score: 1

      If we're going by the recent version of _War of the Worlds_ you would think that, when they're planning an invasion they would just invade right away rather than burying their tripods for centuries or more until humans built their cities above. Seems like a lot of work to go to in order to surprise attack people who haven't even been born yet.

    14. Re:Aliens? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The problem for the Martians wasn't that they were wussies, it's that they had eliminated all disease on their home world so far back in the misty depths of their history that they simply didn't think to prepare for it.The Martians didn't think to bring their great-great-grandparents' medical stuff along to cure something they didn't see through their telescopes. It was a clerical oversight.

        H.G. Wells' point was that mankind was not special; that we could very well get ourselves wiped out -- it was certainly not that Gawd Saved Us with his Infinite Wisdom! as the George Pal movie would have it, but that in the end, we squeaked by on a lucky break. The end of the book suggests that the "victory" over the Martians may be only a temporary setback for them, and they may simply gather their resources and launch a second, successful sally against the Earth.

    15. Re:Aliens? by davewoods · · Score: 1

      I thought they explained that they had to bury the machines under the earth because the actual aliens could not travel fast enough, so they sent their tanks first, then traveled the slow way themselves.

      But yeah, why did they think we would build cities in those areas? Why did they hate us so much that they would predict how our populations would boom, and where to plant the tanks to murder us?

      Aliens make no sense these days.

  7. I'm on the edge of my seat... by wildstoo · · Score: 2

    If this turns out to be some organic matter that accidentally made the trip to mars with the rover itself, I'll be very disappointed.

    Also, whoever tagged the article with the misspelled "curiousity"... great job.

    1. Re:I'm on the edge of my seat... by wonkey_monkey · · Score: 2

      Also, whoever tagged the article with the misspelled "curiousity"... great job.

      That's the Martian spelling.

      It's also common enough that its use as a tag can be justified (although it was most likely done in error, since there was no "curiosity" tag)

      --
      systemd is Roko's Basilisk.
    2. Re:I'm on the edge of my seat... by Cogita · · Score: 2

      If this turns out to be some organic matter that accidentally made the trip to mars with the rover itself, I'll be very disappointed.

      Also, whoever tagged the article with the misspelled "curiousity"... great job.

      Now honestly, even if it's organic matter that made it over with the rover, if it's reproducing and surviving on the planet, that's plenty interesting news.

      --
      -- "The Price of Freedom of Speech, of Press, or of Religion is that we must put up with a good deal of rubbish."
    3. Re:I'm on the edge of my seat... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm sure that's exactly what it is. Why they're hyping it up so much I don't know because every so-called "earth shattering discovery" NASA has blabbered about in the last five years has been a complete waste of time. I can see why Americans are abandoning the space program and the shuttles have been grounded, why pour money into a foundation full of incompetents? They've been doing that long enough with the GOP.

    4. Re:I'm on the edge of my seat... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Technically, bacteria could have survived from any of the prior probes, or even a meteorite from Earth. By this time, given an environment without competitors, they could easily have spread over the whole planet. Of course, bacteria on Mars would be very interesting, but without sequencing the DNA (or finding it doesn't have DNA) we can't be sure it's not of Earth-origin.

    5. Re:I'm on the edge of my seat... by Synerg1y · · Score: 3, Funny

      An alligator accidentally made the trip in an oversized hidden compartment?

    6. Re:I'm on the edge of my seat... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Curiousity" is the correct spelling, damn you. Even Firefox is flagging it up as being spelled incorrectly!

      Americans have no right to colour the English language to suit them ... even if they did send that damn rover.

    7. Re:I'm on the edge of my seat... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Also, whoever tagged the article with the misspelled "curiousity"... great job.

      Muphry's Law strikes again.

    8. Re:I'm on the edge of my seat... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Now honestly, even if it's organic matter that made it over with the rover, if it's reproducing and surviving on the planet, that's plenty interesting news.

      That would be pretty great since that would lift the ban on contaminating Mars.

      The next step should be to cover Mars with a HVDC grid to give it en Earth-like magnetic shield.

    9. Re:I'm on the edge of my seat... by samriel · · Score: 1

      Now honestly, even if it's organic matter that made it over with the rover, if it's reproducing and surviving on the planet, that's plenty interesting news.

      You're exactly right - the "exciting" news might not be that life still exists on Mars, but that it easily could. This might have very interesting implications for terraforming.

    10. Re:I'm on the edge of my seat... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No actually, I have a friend who works on the project and what they found was a toothbrush left by some martians, unless it happened to have fallen from the vehicle itself. Now they are asking the empoyees of Nasa if anybody's missing a toothbrush.

  8. Turtles by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Turtles all the way down.

  9. Earth-shaking by ByteSlicer · · Score: 3, Funny

    Earth-shaking? Well then it is obvious.

    They found evidence of an earth quake. On Mars !!

    1. Re:Earth-shaking by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That was exactly my thought. Seismic activity on Mars would be news, but not to the general public. They all expect that there are quakes on all planets, "seen it on the TV!".

    2. Re:Earth-shaking by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A quake on Mars would be a big deal.

    3. Re:Earth-shaking by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Ummm.. wouldn't that be Mars shaking and not Earth shaking news then?

    4. Re:Earth-shaking by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They found evidence of an earth quake. On Mars !!

      Probably not, as that would have been Mars-shaking.

    5. Re:Earth-shaking by ToAruShiroiNeko · · Score: 1

      Actually that alone could be a significant discovery because it would imply that the planet still has active tectonics which would in turn imply that there still is a hot core which in turn may imply the existence of an under ground thermal-based life similar to those observed in deep underwater volcanoes here on earth. Mind that Ammonia (a possible by-product of life) was discovered on Mars in 2004 which got people quite excited. Of course any of the steps could lead to different conclusions which is why NASA is not even implying what discovery they think have made. http://science.slashdot.org/story/04/07/15/1637207/ammonia-could-indicate-life-on-mars

    6. Re:Earth-shaking by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Earth-shaking? Well then it is obvious.

      They found evidence of an earth quake. On Mars !!

      I wouldn't put it past them to announce exact ly that. Same thing I was thinking until I heard the instrument wasn't some kind of seismic probe.

  10. The Chances of anything coming from Mars by rossdee · · Score: 5, Funny

    Are a million to one he said...

    I don't think we want them to discover something on Mars that actually shakes the earth

    OOOOH-LAHHH

    1. Re:The Chances of anything coming from Mars by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      But, still, they come....

    2. Re:The Chances of anything coming from Mars by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The chances of spurting all over my bum,
      Are a million to one, he said.
      Yes the chances of spurting all over my bum,
      Are a million to one,
      But still they coo-oome.

    3. Re:The Chances of anything coming from Mars by geekoid · · Score: 2

      Million to one happens 9 out of 10 times!

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
    4. Re:The Chances of anything coming from Mars by Remus+Shepherd · · Score: 1

      I don't think we want them to discover something on Mars that actually shakes the earth.

      But think what we could do now that we've finally found our Illudium Q-38 Explosive Space Modulator!

      --
      Genocide Man -- Life is funny. Death is funnier. Mass murder can be hilarious.
    5. Re:The Chances of anything coming from Mars by Master+Moose · · Score: 1

      . . ..but still they come.

      --
      . . .gone when the morning comes
    6. Re:The Chances of anything coming from Mars by R3d+M3rcury · · Score: 1

      But only once a millennium.

    7. Re:The Chances of anything coming from Mars by itsdapead · · Score: 1

      Are a million to one he said...

      The rover has located traces of aromatic plant extracts, sugar, honey and lemon. The Martians are coming back and this time they've brought Mentholyptus! We're doomed!

      --
      In a survey of 100 programmers, 111111 thought that duck-typing was a good idea.
    8. Re:The Chances of anything coming from Mars by sesshomaru · · Score: 1

      I felt a need to respond to this post.... but what... oh, I know:

      Jeff Wayne's War of the World's

      --
      "MIT betrayed all of its basic principles."
    9. Re:The Chances of anything coming from Mars by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And here is me listening to Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds... coincidence? I think not!!!
      PS, it's apparently "Ulla"...

  11. water by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    We found something that looks like it could maybe be the remnants of something that would maybe only show up in an environment that had maybe been exposed to water!

     

    1. Re:water by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's possible.

      I mean, let's keep in mind that the definition of "one for the history books", for a space geek who's spent his entire working career on one or two missions to an easy to get to and agreeable planet, is probably different than that of the average denizen of /..

    2. Re:water by Joce640k · · Score: 0

      I bet you're fun at parties...

      --
      No sig today...
    3. Re:water by Dan+Dankleton · · Score: 1

      That's possible.

      I mean, let's keep in mind that the definition of "one for the history books", for a space geek who's spent his entire working career on one or two missions to an easy to get to and agreeable planet, is probably different than that of the average denizen of /..

      I'm not sure I'd class Mars as either easy to get to or agreeable.

      It's quite a long way away, and a minority of people would like the climate there.

    4. Re:water by Iamthecheese · · Score: 1

      We already found that, the sediment granules that most likely formed from a stream. I hope they're not calling another discovery that water once existed "earthshaking". Not that I would be surprised: NASA has a long history of hyping non-news.

      --
      If video games influenced behavior the Pac Man generation would be eating pills and running away from their problems.
    5. Re:water by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

      I'm not sure I'd class Mars as either easy to get to or agreeable.

      It's quite a long way away, and a minority of people would like the climate there.

      Lets contrast then.
      Venus: probes dissolve in less than 20 minutes
      Mercury: probe melts before landing
      Jupiter: a whole lot more distant and any probe aimed at the planet itself will face storms larger than all the rocky planets combined
      Saturn: ever more distant, slightly smaller storms than Jupiter
      Uranus: same trend
      Neptune: very far, very cold storms

      And for the classicalists:
      Pluto: tiny rock, very far away, in an awkward 5 or so object mutual orbit arrangement

      for the completionists:
      Ceres: smaller than Pluto, but much closer, completely surrounded by other hazardous rocks
      Quaoar: very far, pretty small
      Sedna: very far, pretty small
      Eris: very far, pretty small
      Haumea: very far, very small
      Makemake: very far, very small

    6. Re:water by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I guess I'd have to say that in the entire universe, the only planet which more precisely combines 'easier to get to' and 'more agreeable' would be Earth...

      Of course, for the above statement to be true you'd have to be making it from elsewhere.

    7. Re:water by ryen · · Score: 1

      You mean, like, a carbon-based fossil that used water to survive like us? That would be pretty interesting!

    8. Re:water by Nethemas+the+Great · · Score: 1

      They've already found that. Quite some time ago actually with the other rovers. Which actually still keep finding cool things (even water related) BTW.

      --
      Two of my imaginary friends reproduced once ... with negative results.
    9. Re:water by Aphrika · · Score: 1

      What, like a boat?

    10. Re:water by tragedy · · Score: 1

      Venera 9 lasted for nearly an hour (maybe more, but the orbiter moved out of radio range). Venera 10 lasted over an hour. It's certainly hostile, but there's no need to exaggerate, the actual survival times of the landers make it sound bad enough.

      As for Mercury, it's only hot on the side facing the sun.

      You're also ignoring a lot of moons.

    11. Re:water by jrumney · · Score: 1

      As for Mercury, it's only hot on the side facing the sun.

      So you've got from some time after sunset (enough for cooling to take effect) until sunrise. But the original claim was "probe melts before landing", so I think the danger being alluded to was not the surface temperature of Mercury itself, but the heat radiating from the nearby sun that makes even approaching it near-impossible.

    12. Re:water by Cochonou · · Score: 2

      Ceres: smaller than Pluto, but much closer, completely surrounded by other hazardous rocks

      Being completely surrounded by hazardous rocks does not seem to be an issue for the Dawn mission so far...

    13. Re:water by tragedy · · Score: 1

      Considering that sunset to sunrise on Mercury is about 88 days long, I don't think there's going to be much of a problem. Also, although the output from the sun is pretty intense at that range, it's all radiant heat. It can be dealt with by using some reflective foil, some insulation and a correctly oriented boom to re-radiate what does get through. After all, it's not as if Mariner 10 and MESSENGER had much trouble with the "near-impossible" task of approaching Mercury. Certainly, the solar activity was a design consideration. The bigger problem, however, was likely the delta-v required, which is greater than that required to leave the solar system. The lack of a significant atmosphere could make landing difficult as well. We've landed probes on Mars, which has almost exactly the same surface gravity and about 11% higher escape velocity than Mercury, but aerobraking and parachutes were used in combination with thrusters and/or air bags for those landings. For Mercury, you might be able to do some aerobraking to save a little fuel, but I'm not sure it would save anything because you would need extra fuel for the weight of the shield in the first place, although you could also use a very light shield... In any case, most of the landing would need to be thrusters, maybe combined with airbags for a final drop. It's still doable. We managed the moon, after all, even though it has approximately half the escape velocity of Mercury.

    14. Re:water by jrumney · · Score: 1

      Sunset to sunrise is about 28 days on Mercury. 88 days is the length of a year.

    15. Re:water by tragedy · · Score: 2

      Nope on the 28 days. A year is, indeed, 88 days on Mercury and Mercury does, indeed, rotate three times for every two Mercury years. This makes the sidereal day on Mercury 56 days long. That would make the sunset to sunrise period 28 days as you say. It would, except for the high orbital eccentricity. A solar day/night cycle on Mercury ends up being exactly two Mercury years. So sunrise to sunset really is 88 days, or one Mercury year.

  12. SAM Launch by SrLnclt · · Score: 4, Funny

    It's a good thing Curiosity brought Surface to Air Missiles along on the trip to protect against an alien invasion of Mars.

    1. Re:SAM Launch by peragrin · · Score: 1

      Considering it is an earth shattering discovering those miisile might be needed to shoot down Marvin's rocket

      --
      i thought once I was found, but it was only a dream.
    2. Re:SAM Launch by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Its to protect the rover from HAMAs rockets

    3. Re:SAM Launch by game+kid · · Score: 1

      Nah, the NASA budget only allows for so many attributes of badass on one rover. They had to settle for its array of instruments and the whole landing process, hostile aliens be damned.

      Granted, running headlong into a place possibly full of hostile creatures is arguably the ultimate in badass technology...

      --
      You can hold down the "B" button for continuous firing.
    4. Re:SAM Launch by mpeskett · · Score: 2

      If we're thinking of the same organisation, it's "Hamas". The S is part of the acronym and it doesn't get capitalised anywhere I've seen. Upshot, the rockets belonging to Hamas would be Hamas', or possibly Hamas's rockets, depending on your preference for possessive nouns where the singular already ends with an S.

      No criticism intended, just information.

    5. Re:SAM Launch by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      They have to fire the rest of the missiles first to make sure they're dead first

    6. Re:SAM Launch by camperdave · · Score: 1

      Nah, the NASA budget only allows for so many attributes of badass on one rover.

      Oh! If they could only afford to hire Chuck Norris as the rover designer.

      --
      When our name is on the back of your car, we're behind you all the way!
    7. Re:SAM Launch by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Man, I thought you were talking about a new Microsoft Surface add on. Market differentiator -- Surface to Air Missiles!

    8. Re:SAM Launch by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Remember: We're not from Mars, Curiosity IS the alien invasion!

    9. Re:SAM Launch by Pyrus.mg · · Score: 1

      I'd hate to break it to you but Curiosity is an alien invasion of Mars.

    10. Re:SAM Launch by dudpixel · · Score: 1

      Well if they're aiming them at earth, that could be earth-shattering (for very small values of "earth")

      --
      This seemed like a reasonable sig at the time.
  13. Please... by WGFCrafty · · Score: 4, Funny

    Please don t be a be a "Donald Trump" announcement.

    "We're offering 5 million dollars to the charity of your choice if you can prove Mars accepted any of the vanquished troops Rome offered."

    1. Re:Please... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Donald Trump, "NASA you're fired!"

    2. Re:Please... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The charity of my choice is Throwing a Pie in Donald Trump's Face.

  14. Chocolate by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    They have found chocolate. At least that's what I've found on the surface of every single Mars I've eaten.

    1. Re:Chocolate by ArcadeMan · · Score: 1

      Funniest food-related reply of the thread. You, sir, win one intarweb.

  15. Unsuprisingly cautious by Coisiche · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Wasn't the last "earth-shaking" announcement that of bacteria using arsenic instead of phosphorus in their molecular construction?

    They'll want to be very sure about whatever it is before going public.

    1. Re:Unsuprisingly cautious by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      You do know the arsenic based bacteria claim is unproven and disputed?

      By this response paper: "Novel expansion of living chemistry or just a serious mistake?"

      http://www.sebbm.es/archivos_tinymce/silver2011.pdf

      They say "there is no data to support this claim".

    2. Re:Unsuprisingly cautious by snadrus · · Score: 2

      My thinking exactly. That was disproven.

      --
      Science & open-source build trust from peer review. Learn systems you can trust.
    3. Re:Unsuprisingly cautious by guspasho · · Score: 1

      Yeah they made all this Donald Trump-style hype about it and then it turned out they had jumped the gun and it wasn't true. I get the feeling that's what this is.

    4. Re:Unsuprisingly cautious by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Which was recently proven to be false? You mean that one?

  16. So much for checking the data first by SirGarlon · · Score: 3, Insightful

    'This data is gonna be one for the history books. It's looking really good,' he says."

    Way to go, Grotzinger. You've just totally undermined NASA's effort to keep their mouths shut until they've carefully checked the data.

    --
    [Sir Garlon] is the marvellest knight that is now living, for he destroyeth many good knights, for he goeth invisible.
    1. Re:So much for checking the data first by geekoid · · Score: 2

      Nope. He didn't announce it, all he did is put his credibility on the line.

      --
      The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
    2. Re:So much for checking the data first by MagusSlurpy · · Score: 1

      No, he put NASA's credibility on the line. How many times in this thread have you seen Felisa Wolfe-Simon's name come up in reference to the arsenic DNA fiasco? And yet how many times have you seen arsenic DNA mentioned in this thread about NASA?

      --
      My sister opened a computer store in Hawaii. She sells C shells by the seashore.
  17. Heh by Sparticus789 · · Score: 1

    Autobots, Assemble!

    --
    sudo make me a sandwich
    1. Re:Heh by tragedy · · Score: 1

      Isn't it: "Autobots, transform and roll out!". The Avengers are the ones who assemble.

  18. Ocean mineral by greylion3 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Probably some mineral, that can only form on the bottom of an ocean.

    --
    Privacy begins with ..
    1. Re:Ocean mineral by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      I'm betting it is an organic compound.

    2. Re:Ocean mineral by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Rumour is that it's calcium bentonite, something which is common ingredient of cat litter. Curiosity is going to try using the rock-vapourising laser to try and find the source next week.

    3. Re:Ocean mineral by squiggleslash · · Score: 1

      FWIW, can we stop the "oceans and water on Mars" thing? It would hardly be "Earth" shattering news that evidence exists of that, there's a crapload of water at the poles (that was widely thought until 2005, when it was confirmed by radar, and water was subsequently sampled in the soil by Pheonix in 2008), and most models have pointed towards oceans at some point in Mars's distant past anyway.

      --
      You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
    4. Re:Ocean mineral by Paradise+Pete · · Score: 1

      I see what you did there.

    5. Re:Ocean mineral by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The rover struck oil.

    6. Re:Ocean mineral by Remus+Shepherd · · Score: 2

      Are you serious? Because calcium bentonite would be a huge discovery. It's formed out of microscopic fossil shells. Curiosity's SAM instrument has a microscope and could probably send us images. If they show us microfossils on Mars then hell yes, it's a world-shaking announcement.

      --
      Genocide Man -- Life is funny. Death is funnier. Mass murder can be hilarious.
    7. Re:Ocean mineral by ArsonSmith · · Score: 1

      Ever been to Phoenix? There was no water in the soil in 2008...or ever.

      --
      Paying taxes to buy civilization is like paying a hooker to buy love.
    8. Re:Ocean mineral by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Sorry to disappoint, but that was a Curiosity-killing-the-cat/laser-pointer joke.

    9. Re:Ocean mineral by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      you mean like water...

    10. Re:Ocean mineral by Beezlebub33 · · Score: 2

      I must be getting slow. It took me a good 20 seconds to see it even after reading your response. I was on my way to googling calcium bentonite.

      --
      The more people I meet, the better I like my dog.
    11. Re:Ocean mineral by Remus+Shepherd · · Score: 1

      Darn. I don't mind jokes flying over my head, but I hate when they poop hope and excitement all over me.

      --
      Genocide Man -- Life is funny. Death is funnier. Mass murder can be hilarious.
    12. Re:Ocean mineral by Nethemas+the+Great · · Score: 1

      Are you sure? I thought it came from volcanic ash. But in this case Curiosity will kill the cat.

      --
      Two of my imaginary friends reproduced once ... with negative results.
    13. Re:Ocean mineral by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 1

      What? They discovered a CAT on Mars??

      --
      #DeleteChrome
  19. Bacteria. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They've found positive evidence of bacterial microbes on Mars.

    1. Re:Bacteria. by hcs_$reboot · · Score: 1

      I'll rather go for a fossil (of a ~bacteria)

      --
      Slashdot, fix the reply notifications... You won't get away with it...
    2. Re:Bacteria. by hcs_$reboot · · Score: 1

      (or lichen)

      --
      Slashdot, fix the reply notifications... You won't get away with it...
    3. Re:Bacteria. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Is the analysis machine sophisticated enough to determine such things? Assume I'm an idiot, I am after all an AC.

    4. Re:Bacteria. by hcs_$reboot · · Score: 1

      I hope they brought one of their microscopes up there ...

      --
      Slashdot, fix the reply notifications... You won't get away with it...
    5. Re:Bacteria. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That would probably set back a manned Mars landing by years since you would have to worry about infection and contamination.

    6. Re:Bacteria. by jamstar7 · · Score: 1

      That would probably set back a manned Mars landing by years since you would have to worry about infection and contamination.

      No, the FROMATEs would protest a manned landing on the grounds that it would 'irreparably damage' the Martian ecosystem. Just more bullshit from the lunatic fringe.

      I'm just wondering if they found Hoffa there...

      --
      Understanding the scope of the problem is the first step on the path to true panic.
    7. Re:Bacteria. by geogob · · Score: 1

      Yes, most likely the kind of bacteria that metabolize phosphorus.

    8. Re:Bacteria. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, the FROMATEs would protest a manned landing on the grounds that it would 'irreparably damage' the Martian ecosystem. Just more bullshit from the lunatic fringe.

      Who are these FROMATEs, and what did they do to your anus that has is so inflamed?

    9. Re:Bacteria. by jamstar7 · · Score: 1

      Short for "FRiends Of Man And The Earth'. Ecowhackos.

      --
      Understanding the scope of the problem is the first step on the path to true panic.
  20. Primitive DNA by dywolf · · Score: 2

    And then watch how fast and quickly they boost NASA's budget.

    --
    The guy who said the election was rigged won the presidency with the second-most votes.
    1. Re:Primitive DNA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Maybe, but just as likely they'll reduce their budget to zero to stop them from promoting anti-science pro-evolutionary religious bullshit. I don't think you understand congress' motivations, or their concept of "science".

    2. Re:Primitive DNA by jamstar7 · · Score: 1, Insightful

      And then watch how fast and quickly they boost NASA's budget.

      Only if they discovered oil there, and terrorrorrorrists to shoot at.

      --
      Understanding the scope of the problem is the first step on the path to true panic.
    3. Re:Primitive DNA by Nikker · · Score: 1

      Until they find out they can use it as a projectile....

      --
      A loop, by its nature, continues. If that didn't make sense, start reading this sentence again.
    4. Re:Primitive DNA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Blue ones, at that.

    5. Re:Primitive DNA by marcosdumay · · Score: 1

      Either DNA or RNA would be earth-shaking.

      As far as I know, nobody knows how those molecules appeared on Earth.

    6. Re:Primitive DNA by ColdWetDog · · Score: 1

      I don't think SAM could actually detect nucleotides. It could find a glop of something and note that it contained molecules in an 'organic' (carbon chain) configuration but I don't think it can actually resolve it to DNA.

      But complex organics would be very, very interesting. Earth shattering perhaps (The 6000 year old earth).

      --
      Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
    7. Re:Primitive DNA by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      2003 called and wants its meme back.

    8. Re:Primitive DNA by Dr.+Evil · · Score: 1

      "Earth shattering perhaps (The 6000 year old earth)."

      You don't need to shatter the 6000 year old earth. It has no basis in science, and no amount of evidence against it will change a believer's mind.

      Best to just ignore them.

    9. Re:Primitive DNA by marcosdumay · · Score: 1

      Too bad then. I had some hope Curiosity could help solving that mistery.

    10. Re:Primitive DNA by Gavagai80 · · Score: 1

      Would it be possible for DNA to have survived the radiation that shallow in the martian soil? I'm under the impression they'd need to dig deeper.

      --
      This space intentionally left blank
  21. Ice Ice Baby by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    What else would it be?

    1. Re:Ice Ice Baby by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Really? Dang. I was hoping it would be Britney.

  22. A human interest story by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    We may have found something on Mars so I told my wife and kids about it.

  23. Rovergenic by srussia · · Score: 1

    If this turns out to be some organic matter that accidentally made the trip to mars with the rover itself, I'll be very disappointed.

    Brace yourself then. Whatever it is will probably be rovergenic. Heck, I reckon the most interesting thing on Mars right now is Curiosity itself!

    --
    Set your phasers on "funky"!
  24. Such an ambiguous sensationalist headline by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Such an ambiguous sensationalist headline and summary need not be on /.

  25. Obligatory... by Brad1138 · · Score: 2

    Mars rover finding

    --
    If you could reason with religious people, there would be no religious people
    1. Re:Obligatory... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

      They finally found Marvin's Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator

  26. Mars is made of... by Ashenkase · · Score: 1

    Mayonnaise!?

  27. Lightspeed by Lord+Lode · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I really hope this isn't going to be like the faster-than-lightspeed-discovery that was an intrument error!

    So feel free to double check the instruments!

    1. Re:Lightspeed by jo_ham · · Score: 1

      I really hope this isn't going to be like the faster-than-lightspeed-discovery that was an intrument error!

      So feel free to double check the instruments!

      And the spelling!

      *ducks*

  28. Mirrored exploration by Nationless · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'm hoping for Evil Curiosity which has a goatee and has been sent by a world mirroring our world in almost every way. Except they're all evil. Although somewhere on that planet will be a mirror version of me.. but.. er.. without a goatee?

    1. Re:Mirrored exploration by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'm hoping for Evil Curiosity which has a goatee and has been sent by a world mirroring our world in almost every way. Except they're all evil. Although somewhere on that planet will be a mirror version of me.. but.. er.. without a goatee?

      That means you're already the evil one! GET HIM!!!

      Or it means the mirror you will have a goatee on his goatee. That's REALLY evil!

    2. Re:Mirrored exploration by aztrailerpunk · · Score: 2

      His goatee would be twice the thickness and paired with a twisty mustache.

      --
      Foot placed squarely in mouth since 1983.
    3. Re:Mirrored exploration by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You're just hoping for a civilization that is accepting of geeks with goatees.

    4. Re:Mirrored exploration by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It wouldn't be a mirror-function if they were *all* evil. In fact, most of them would have to be good. And smart.

    5. Re:Mirrored exploration by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That sounds like the darkest timeline...

    6. Re:Mirrored exploration by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I hope /we/ are on Evil Earth... if not, I can't even imagine what that cluster of a world looks like.

    7. Re:Mirrored exploration by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      wait a second... you must be part of the advanced party... GET HIM!!!

    8. Re:Mirrored exploration by ScentCone · · Score: 1

      without a goatee?

      No, without the double chin.

      --
      Don't disappoint your bird dog. Go to the range.
    9. Re:Mirrored exploration by skelly33 · · Score: 1

      That rover's name is Animosity.

    10. Re:Mirrored exploration by Nationless · · Score: 1

      That reply makes me wish I had mod points on Dotslash so I could give you a +1 Devious

  29. Fossils! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I know what it is. My brother's friend's wife's uncle works for NASA. They found fossils! And Jimmy Hoffa.

  30. It better be good this time. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    I love science but what NASA finds exciting and what normal Americans find exciting don't always overlap. If we get one more "breaking news" press conference about trace deposits of minerals on an uninteresting looking rock that need more testing I'm going to scream. Real science is good but most of the time it's not even close to exciting.

    Come on NASA, keep sending me video and panoramic photos of Mars and get back to work.

    1. Re:It better be good this time. by Concerned+Onlooker · · Score: 3, Funny

      Apparently you're just a normal American.

      --
      http://www.rootstrikers.org/
  31. They found LIFF by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    martians had forgotten a book there which is totally liff

    1. Re:They found LIFF by Sulphur · · Score: 1

      martians had forgotten a book there which is totally liff

      "Handbook for the Recently Dead"

    2. Re:They found LIFF by camperdave · · Score: 1

      It's "Handbook for the Recently Deceased". However, I think the parent was referring to The Meaning of LIFF

      --
      When our name is on the back of your car, we're behind you all the way!
  32. Either it's life or overeager techies by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    "One for the history books" means life. Remember how important it was that one of the two earlier rovers found surface water by getting a wheel stuck in the mud? Remember how big a story that was? That is not getting into the history books. The most likely alternate possibility is that the techies are overblowing the importance of this because it is a big thing in their world.

    Given the description of the instrument, it is likely that they got a successful result from a Viking-style experiment which they are taking as evidence for life.

    For the results to truly be Earth-shaking, they have to have found Marvin the Martian's Illudium Q-36 space modulator.

    1. Re:Either it's life or overeager techies by cplusplus · · Score: 5, Informative

      Remember how important it was that one of the two earlier rovers found surface water by getting a wheel stuck in the mud? Remember how big a story that was? That is not getting into the history books

      That didn't get in to the history books because that didn't happen. Spirit got stuck in sand. Very dry sand. The Phoenix lander at the pole saw visible water ice after scraping the surface with a tool, only to see that ice sublimate. Some satellite evidence hints at possible subsurface flows of brine, but that has yet to be confirmed.

      --
      "False hope is why we'll never run out of natural resources!" - Lewis Black
    2. Re:Either it's life or overeager techies by ribuck · · Score: 1

      My guess is that they have found levels of Carbon 14 higher than we can currently explain without living organisms.

      That's not quite the same as finding life, but it would be pretty exciting to a scientist.

    3. Re:Either it's life or overeager techies by amRadioHed · · Score: 1

      What do living organisms have to do with Carbon 14 levels? Carbon 14 isn't created by life.

      --
      We hope your rules and wisdom choke you / Now we are one in everlasting peace
    4. Re:Either it's life or overeager techies by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      No, but life accumulates carbon.

      Carbon-14 is created in the atmosphere by cosmic rays. This process is continuous (but not exactly constant), and the environment maintains a roughly constant ratio between Carbon-12 and Carbon-14.

      A living organism accumulates and constantly recirculates its carbon. Thus, over the life of the organism, the ratio of carbon isotopes is roughly the same as the environment it is in. But then the organism dies at some point, and the carbon stays put. The Carbon-14 begins to decay, and the ratio within the organism changes. The ratio in the environment, however, continues in its normal balance.

      Thus, if we were to discover a sample with significantly different isotope ratio than the general environment of Mars, it could potentially indicate life. (However, there are many mechanisms for carbon to be taken out of circulation besides life, so I wouldn't take it as a slam-dunk.)

      (Posting as AC to preserve moderations)

    5. Re:Either it's life or overeager techies by khallow · · Score: 1

      No, but life accumulates carbon.

      Terrestrial life accumulates carbon from the atmosphere where it is created by solar and cosmic radiation interacting with the high nitrogen content of the Earth's atmosphere. A number of those steps probably don't happen on Mars. Nitrogen is far less dense so there's far less production of carbon 14. Organisms even if they do absorb carbon would probably be located well below the surface of Mars and hence, unlikely to be exposed to carbon 14.

    6. Re:Either it's life or overeager techies by MtViewGuy · · Score: 1

      If they announce that the SAM instrument has found what appears to be microbial life living just underneath the surface planet (living off small amounts of water in the soil), that is a HUGE breakthrough because it proves that life can exist on some place besides Earth. This raises the prospect of life in the oceans under the ice cover of Europa and Ganymede orbiting Jupiter, strange forms of life living off the liquid methane of Titan orbiting Saturn, or even unusual life forms living in the upper atmosphere of Jupiter itself.

  33. Vandalism by AshFan · · Score: 2, Funny

    While taking another picture of itself, it noticed that something has slapped a "Barsoom" bumpersticker on the fender.

    1. Re:Vandalism by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Maybe they found the Mysteron complex.

      SIG!

    2. Re:Vandalism by pgdave · · Score: 1

      ....or it saw another probe sent from Venus...

  34. Oil on by Dyinobal · · Score: 1

    Oil on Mars, that or John Carter.

    1. Re:Oil on by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Oil on John Carter?

      You mean...?

    2. Re:Oil on by yams · · Score: 1

      Oh boy! When we have oil, we have no oxygen. The universe just isn't fair.

  35. An alien with a Facebook account? by overmoderated · · Score: 1

    And an IPv10 network to match.

  36. You should already know! by RobertNotBob · · Score: 3, Funny
    Awe, come on , guys...

    We've known for 40 years what comes from Mars and shakes the earth...

    It's the "Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator".

    Marvin has been searching for YEARS for that darned thing; ever since Buggs was able to get it away from him. Let's hope that he's not looking at the news today.

    --
    ___ I don't respond to Anonymous Cowards, and I Never Mod them UP.
    1. Re:You should already know! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You're off by a few decades.

    2. Re:You should already know! by SleazyRidr · · Score: 1

      Is it just me or has there been a trend of these kinds of posts recently around here. Ok, thank you for telling us that little booby tables was wrong about the date of some Warner Brothers cartoons. Would you please elucidate about the correct date and maybe make us all slightly more enlightened by your brilliance?

  37. Cplonel Sanders moment.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They found a Chicken bone... I bet !

  38. Weapons of mass destruction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They found weapons of mass destruction. Now they get the resources to send a complete army to Mars.

  39. Mars-quake by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Marsquake, or simply 'quake - but not the game'.

    1. Re:Mars-quake by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A mars-quake on Mars wouldn't be Earth-shaking at all...
      (Also: wooosh!)

    2. Re:Mars-quake by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      However, a Mars-quake on EARTH would be *quite* Earth-shaking!

      My theory is that they finally found Carmen Sandiego!

  40. They finally found... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The real contents of Al Capone's safe.

    1. Re:They finally found... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      nope, Jimmy Hoffa was revealed when Tammy Faye Bakers' make up was removed.

  41. Finally! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They found the Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator.

  42. Gate plz by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Please be a Stargate. Please be a Stargate.

    (sorry, but i still miss that show)

    1. Re:Gate plz by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Couldn't be, they'd have to send something with enough power to get it started && verify it

  43. The news is .. by emho24 · · Score: 1

    ... that the D&M pyramid is actually a pyramid!

    --
    You must gather your party before venturing forth.
  44. Get Your Ass to Mars! by titanium93 · · Score: 1

    They found the control panel that activates the reactor to melt all the ice?

    --
    Sigs are for losers
  45. They found... by VirginMary · · Score: 2

    ... Waldo!

    --
    When 1person suffers from a delusion,it is called insanity.When many people suffer from a delusion,it is called religion
  46. Unobtanium! by GodInHell · · Score: 3, Funny

    Apparently, it's real.

    1. Re:Unobtanium! by Bigby · · Score: 1

      What if anti-matter were just sitting on the surface of the moon?

    2. Re:Unobtanium! by gnaac · · Score: 1

      Well of course its real, you just can't get any of it.

    3. Re:Unobtanium! by BitZtream · · Score: 1

      ... Annihilation is what.

      Antimatter touching matter == annihilation.

      --
      Persistent Volume manager for Kubernetes - https://github.com/dwimsey/openshift-pvmanager
    4. Re:Unobtanium! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes, but you .. just ... can't ... get it
      darn it

    5. Re:Unobtanium! by GodInHell · · Score: 1

      Actually, I have it right here. You can't have it though.

    6. Re:Unobtanium! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And they're spectacular.

    7. Re:Unobtanium! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Considering it's in most Oakley Sunglasses and many other Oakley products, yes, it's been real for some time now.
      http://www.oakley.com/products/oakley-unobtainium-case-for-iphone-4/99159-001

  47. Earth shattering? by gmuslera · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Should be evidence of life, something not so surprising. But could be even more shattering to find that we are actually martians that come here very long ago escaping from the climate change that we caused on Mars (even that we Marsformed Earth back then).

    1. Re:Earth shattering? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      More likely that we're from Venus, what with the runaway global warming that took place there...

    2. Re:Earth shattering? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You climate change people have to infect EVERY frikkin' conversation, don't you? Sad. Just sad.

  48. Maybe they'll finally discover who dealt those farts (methane) on mars. Just hope it's not "he who dealt it smelt it" like in 1974.

  49. Get into the mood by allcoolnameswheretak · · Score: 1

    As preparation for the BIG ANNOUNCEMENT you might want to listen to this before tuning in to CNN tomorrow

  50. Connected discoveries by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    An arrow of time that points... the other way...

  51. Previous Human Civilization Discovered! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Age old 'Black Friday' adds have been discovered on Mars.

    It turns out the entire population trampled itself into extinction!

    Your Welcome.

  52. They finally found... by Rob+Riggs · · Score: 1

    ... where Jimmy Hoffa is buried.

    --
    the growth in cynicism and rebellion has not been without cause
  53. my prediction by Quiet_Desperation · · Score: 3, Funny

    There may have been liquid water in that very spot at some point in the last 50,000,000 years!

    1. Re:my prediction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      In the last 6,000 years?

    2. Re:my prediction by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      perhaps not water but a gas in a liquid state, carbon dioxide water, anyone?

  54. Microbes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It is more than possible that microbes or some new form of bacteria that exists within the soil ergo life on mars. not sentient life but life nonetheless.

  55. It's chickens by jitterman · · Score: 1

    In choppers...

    --
    For conscience is the wound, and there's naught to staunch it
  56. Curiosty struck Oil by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    How fast can BP start drilling? Let the space race begin.

  57. Punny fun! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Inb4 announcement about seismic activity potentially facilitating liquid water on Mars.

  58. Oh, come on! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Where's K'Breel when you need him?

  59. Arsenic Based Life by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This time its for real.

  60. There 5.4% nitrogenation of the oil. by bodland · · Score: 5, Funny

    Everyone assumed it was 5.3%

  61. A fossile. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Partial or a whole fossile of at least single celled organism or it ain't earth-shaking.

  62. YOU MANIACS by _0x783czar · · Score: 2

    I've got my money on them discovering that curiosity has actually landed on a future earth after getting caught in a temporal anomaly. Turns out SAM found part of the Statue of Liberty.

    --
    ~theCzar
  63. Well, I'm... by Quakeulf · · Score: 1

    Curious to see what it will be.

  64. Clearly ... by tgd · · Score: 1

    Clearly the investigator saved $500 on his car insurance.

  65. I dunno by aepervius · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Life on mars would probably not shake anybody but scientific and nerd like us, and well maybe SF writer.

    --
    C. Sagan : A demon haunted world:
    http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345409469/
    visit randi.org
    1. Re:I dunno by crazyjj · · Score: 2

      "Life on Mars" would be huge.

      "Possible evidence of there maybe once being life of Mars, or not" would be who-gives-a-fuck.

      --
      What political party do you join when you don't like Bible-thumpers *or* hippies?
    2. Re:I dunno by mark-t · · Score: 2

      There's been life on mars for quite a while. We put it there.

    3. Re:I dunno by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      America will only be interested if there's oil. Or possibly very tasty life.

    4. Re:I dunno by Concerned+Onlooker · · Score: 1

      Popplers!

      --
      http://www.rootstrikers.org/
  66. I say by CimmerianX · · Score: 1

    I vote for Frozen Fecal Matter!!! ------- Holy poop on a stick, Batman!!!! --------

  67. What's exciting to Grotz may not be ... by Squidlips · · Score: 3, Insightful

    too exciting to the rest of us unless we are geologists. Personally I would be very excited by organics or even just carbonates but the short-attention-span, scientifically-illiterate public might snooze. But remember, no matter what the results are, the mission has been a big success. Just because Mars may not be what we want it to be, doe not make the mission a failure.

    1. Re:What's exciting to Grotz may not be ... by ceoyoyo · · Score: 1

      I'm guessing methane. But yes, no matter what it is, joe public (which includes post-2000 Slashdot where science is concerned) will be disappointed.

  68. We are sorry... by labyrinth · · Score: 1

    ...Curiosity killed the cat

    1. Re:We are sorry... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think NASA is just excited that they saved 15% on rover insurance by switching to Geico.

  69. Off Topic : SciFi by kenholm3 · · Score: 1

    Wouldn't it be interesting if a new life form were discovered and when Curiosity beamed all the info it had collected back to earth only then do we find out that the way this newly discovered life form proliferates was through transmission, of any form or vehicle, of it's "data". So, by transmitting that data back here, Curiosity has introduced that new life form to Earth. Then, of course, the new colony can be defeated/undone wholly by someone unawares swallowing the entire colony. ModDown ModDown -K

    --
    God is good all the time! -K
    1. Re:Off Topic : SciFi by ColdWetDog · · Score: 1

      You live in Colorado? Rocky Mountain High and all that?

      --
      Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
  70. I predict by argStyopa · · Score: 4, Funny

    A skull! ....of a dinosaur.... ...in a space suit!

    --
    -Styopa
    1. Re:I predict by dargaud · · Score: 2

      A skull! ....of a dinosaur.... ...in a space suit!

      Where's the 'Grandiose' moderation when you need it ?!

      --
      Non-Linux Penguins ?
    2. Re:I predict by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Test Martians Please Ignore?

    3. Re:I predict by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I was hoping they'd find the watch I lost back in 1994.

    4. Re:I predict by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      A skull! ....of a dinosaur.... ...in a space suit!

      Dinosaurs...on a spaceship!

  71. They Found JOHN CARTER! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It is all worth it now.

  72. Tacos by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It found tacos.

  73. Enemy planet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Whether they find life there or not I think we should consider mars an enemy planet.

  74. Gasoline for the chainsaw by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    My bet is on a can of gasoline, labeled "for chainsaw use only".

  75. Far away by adam.skinner · · Score: 1

    I believe they have found a being named "Valentine Michael Smith".

  76. To quote Marvin the Martian by jtseng · · Score: 1

    Where's the kaboom?! There was supposed to be an earth-shattering kaboom!!!!!

    --

    Sanity.html - Error 404 not found

  77. Life? by Eravnrekaree · · Score: 1

    Is it actual life? I doubt it. For scientists the discovery of some chemical might be earth shattering, but it can be interesting but less than earth shattering for others. I do think a chemical that is a precursor to life or even indicates the presence of such (maybe a limestone or an algal deposit such as stromatolite) would be very interesting.

  78. Carbonates? by Squidlips · · Score: 2

    All that SAM has analyzed so far is a mini dust/sand dune so I don't see how complex organic compounds could possibly be preserved. UV, perchloates, solar wind, etc. should have broken any of these down, but I think that carbonates will be preserved. But carbonates would not be an earth-shattering discovery. If fact I think that it has already been detected or theorized to be in Martian dust so this is a bit of a mystery. And it has been seen by the Spirit rover and from orbit, albeit in small amounts.

  79. Statue of Liberty....obviously... by AttyBobDobalina · · Score: 1

    They blew it up! Why else would the ancients have referred to Mars as the planet of war? It all makes so much sense.

  80. what? by geekoid · · Score: 0

    "Zare says in a way, scientists are like artists. "

    I didn't know the Scientist wanted to get paid a quarter every time someone reads about a result.

    Artist don't like to share, they like to get royalties. Preferably sell something they did decades ago over and over again in perpetuity

    If scientist were like artist, we would still be paying Einstein money every time we use one of his theories.

    --
    The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
    1. Re:what? by ceoyoyo · · Score: 1

      "I didn't know the Scientist wanted to get paid a quarter every time someone reads about a result."

      That would be awesome. I could finally afford some actual vegetables to stir into the ramen noodles.

  81. Its not science until they allow peer review by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Its not science until they open this information for peer review. The secrecy and beuracracy around NASA doesnt allow any real science to happen.

    If they finally open up and admit they've found chlorophyl on the "red planet" for the 3rd time I will be amazed.

    1. Re:Its not science until they allow peer review by ColdWetDog · · Score: 2

      Its not science until they open this information for peer review. The secrecy and beuracracy around NASA doesnt allow any real science to happen.

      If they finally open up and admit they've found chlorophyl on the "red planet" for the 3rd time I will be amazed.

      Go back and think for a minute. The information will be open for review but the JPL folks have to make sure that the information is 'real' and not spurious. Free dissemination of scientific data doesn't mean that the National Enquirer gets real time view of the SAM downlink. Sometimes 'science' takes a while. Happens in fits and starts. Ideas and data are presented, then proved wrong.

      Shields down. Not everything is a conspiracy. Sometimes even earth shattering ideas are just mundane.

      --
      Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
    2. Re:Its not science until they allow peer review by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Thanks for taking the time to reply. And your right, its proper to make sure the results are correct. That the instruments are working properly.

      However the prevailing attitude is that this is JPL's data. That the public doesn't have a right to information generated by their tax money. The military thinks that we could potentially see somemething that voilated national security. That John Q the public could not possibly fact check. And that we are too stupid to do science that we the people funded. This is arrogant and just worsens the problems this country is having. We are flagging badly, how many people do you know that even care about this kind of thing?

      If anything its counter productive to teaching people science and to the mission statements of these programs. And the beurocracies that make it so serve JPL's and the elites interests. Even if unwittingly.

      I would also argue that the individual scientists actively working on these programs have a right to first look at the data and to have their names on whatever discoveries are made. However NASA has consistently obfuscated their results or overblown their findings.

      Its a bad organization for science work to be done through. They have lost their credibility in my eyes.

      As for the people over at Huffington post. They will post whatever the hell they want and probobly exaggerate far worse then if they did have access to a real time feed. If they are that bad, they wouldn't even notice a real discovery if it hit them in the face. It has been my experience that when you withold information from a journalist they tend to make shit up pretty damn well on their own.

      There is no conspiracy just a bad system with shitty results. That could be improved. If there is a conspiracy we dont know about it (TM) and the people running it dont have to worry about us proles not knowing a damn thing and are happy to let fail. I just think its a bad thing to keep certain information under lock and key. What if china finds out theres a mineral mars they want and beat us there? This mentality is old and wrong. Their going to do it and probably before us at the rate we are going.

  82. The location of all of NASA's "missing" laptops? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    And so they won't need all that encryption after all?!?

  83. Re:Let me guess.... by geekoid · · Score: 1

    Oh? please tell me about a liberal idea that is just picking science?
    Welcome to the 21st century , where facts are liberal, and any different opinion is just as valid as an opinion based on actual facts.

    --
    The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
  84. all those socks that go missing in the dryer by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    and possibly Obama's birth certificate (unverified)...

    1. Re:all those socks that go missing in the dryer by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      and possibly Obama's birth certificate (unverified)...

      Plus 3 million missing Romney votes.

  85. Pottery by readin · · Score: 1

    They found some ancient artifacts that prove the early Chinese found Mars first and that Mars is an integral part of Chinese territory (as it the Moon since the Chinese saw it first).

    --
    I often don't like the choices people make, but I like the fact that people make choices. That's why I'm a conservative.
    1. Re:Pottery by dane23 · · Score: 1
      --


      Warning! Keep Out of Eyes! Wash Out with Water! Don't Drink Soap! Dilute! Dilute!
  86. My lost car keys? by nickrjsmith · · Score: 1

    So that's where I dropped my car keys. I know it was a good night, but when my mate said we'd been to Mars and back, I thought he was joking!

  87. Life or GTFO by History's+Coming+To · · Score: 2

    What I'd like: announcement of microbial life in Martian soil, probably some sort of methanogen.

    What we'll probably get: Methane is being generated in the soil...probably...with no idea of the actual origin.

    --
    Please consider this account deleted, I just can't be bothered with the spam anymore.
    1. Re:Life or GTFO by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So getting some useful information is not good enough for you, you need to have a massive announcement or you loose interest?

      moron.

  88. OMG, they found ! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    OMG. They found on Mars:

    Carbon, Nitrogen, Oxygen and Hydrogen

    JAM

  89. Ascension stopover by freeshoes · · Score: 0

    Jesus's toenail as he rose to heaven??

  90. Here Lies... by PmanAce · · Score: 1

    Finally found the bones of John Carter.

    --
    Tired of my customary (Score:1)
  91. They found alcohol on Mars by ThorGod · · Score: 1

    "Hey everybody! We're all getting laid!"
    -Rodney Dangerfield

    --
    PS: I don't reply to ACs.
  92. If we built it, they will come by Bucc5062 · · Score: 1

    y'all don't have any imagination. Life...meh. Water...meh. Maybe interesting to scientists, but not eough to rock the public world.

    I figure they found processed metals. Stuff that cannot form naturally. Were they to dig down a little more, evidence of some structure will begin to appear. Perhaps that Face turns out to really be a face, covered over by millennium of sand and rock debris.

    Microbial forms of life, no shaking of the earth there.
    "made" structure from processed materials that predates humans by a few millions years....earth shaking in deed.

    --
    Life is a great ride, the vehicle doesn't matter
    1. Re:If we built it, they will come by ColdWetDog · · Score: 1

      Wrong. Plausible data that strongly suggests complex organic chemicals at concentrations higher than would be expected from cosmic seeding or geochemical processes (both of which create said molecules) would be 'earth shattering' indeed.

      A lot of us think life exists / existed on Mars. None of us knows whether or not that's true.

      That would be worth headlines.

      --
      Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
    2. Re:If we built it, they will come by ceoyoyo · · Score: 1

      "Life...meh. Water...meh"

      And we have no imagination? The discovery of good evidence for life originating on another planet would be one of the biggest discoveries humanity has ever made.

    3. Re:If we built it, they will come by Bucc5062 · · Score: 1

      Life, water... these are common enough that it would not be earth shaking (though important). We are discovering planets orbiting around other stars thst have water, maybe with the possibility of life and yes, that is big. A planet of single celled organisms or simple structure creatures clustered around vent holes is not the same thing as discovering something not natural that precedes humans.

      I respect, truly respect science that explores the building blocks of life and can find it fascinating to consider something growing outside our planet. My point about imagination (mainly for humor) is that when talking about earth shaking discoveries, life as a microbe is just not as amazing as life defined by made structures. Imagine we discover a Dyson sphere (or ring), imagine we discover some type of structure on Mars. Not only does it show life outside Earth exists (existed), but it was intelligent. That should blow our minds as a species and that I would find Earth Shaking..

      Besides what will get mankind to Mars faster? Discovery that at some point water flowed on Mars and may be under the surface, some speck of licing dna, or a building/structure buried in the Mars sand.

      --
      Life is a great ride, the vehicle doesn't matter
    4. Re:If we built it, they will come by ceoyoyo · · Score: 1

      Hey, we could discover that God exists too. That would be earthshaking! Why think so small with pitiful aliens when you can dream of discovering omnipotent beings?

      I guess when you said "dream" you really meant it literally. Meanwhile some of us would like to maintain at least a tenuous grip on reality.

  93. How does that axiom go? by BenFenner · · Score: 1

    What "Earth-shaking" discovery has curiosity made on Mars?
    No.

  94. Re:Let me guess.... by nharmon · · Score: 1

    please tell me about a liberal idea that is just picking science?

    The idea that genetically modified organisms present an unknown danger to people is one example. The left regularly propagates this scientifically ignorant viewpoint, exchanging their anti-corporate biases for facts.

  95. Fries with that? by LeadSongDog · · Score: 1

    No, not that kind,... ... this kind. http://books.google.ca/books/about/?id=WyypzVblUa0C

    --
    Oh, I'm sorry sir, I thought you were referring to me, Mr. Wensleydale.
  96. Sauronauts, finally! by davevr · · Score: 1

    At long last, conclusive evidence that the dinosaurs evolved into an advanced civilization and made it off of earth before the asteroid collision. They had an advanced civilization on Mars for almost 500,000 years before finally perfecting the technology to transform into pure energy. We will see if the government continues to suppress this now that NASA has found evidence!!

  97. Will.i.am by bob_jordan · · Score: 1

    Maybe the scientists replayed the Will.i.am and realised it wasn't actually that good.

    Bob.

  98. I know! by larry+bagina · · Score: 1

    They found ziggy and the spiders from mars.

    --
    Do you even lift?

    These aren't the 'roids you're looking for.

  99. sorry but Curiosity is not a vending machine by k6mfw · · Score: 1

    where you put money in and you get something RIGHT NOW. Other than that, will they find organics? If so, any of significant quantity and where? What parts of the surface contain higher concentrations of organics? For me what would be exciting is finding fossilized lifeforms like a trilobite of sorts.

    Problem is nowadays movies with CGI have lots more action and adventure and it is difficult for NASA to compete with this. Speaking of movies what if Curiosity were to find a British flag?

    --
    mfwright@batnet.com
  100. Prepare yourselves for shock and awe! by jbssm · · Score: 0
    Water!
    NASA found vestiges of running water in the past in Mars!

    For the 10th time since the 90's but who's counting.
    BTW, when is the annual budget voted again?

  101. Re:Let me guess.... by RolandBallard · · Score: 1

    What does "only a fetus" even mean? All cells are alive. It's the Christian Right that wants to give special meaning to a blastocyst based on their stone age delusion. Might just as well criminalize exfoliation.

  102. Not Exciting to the General Public by guttentag · · Score: 3, Insightful

    He did break down and tell his family. "I remember at the dinner table with great excitement explaining to my wife, Susan, and my daughter, Bethany, what it was we were doing," says Zare. And then he experienced something many parents can relate to when talking to their kids.

    "Bethany looked at me and said, 'pass the ketchup.' So, not everybody was as excited as I was," he says.

    He told his family what he can't yet tell the world, and his daughter's reaction was, "pass the ketchup." So the discovery must be pretty bland.

    1. Re:Not Exciting to the General Public by Whatsisname · · Score: 4, Informative

      The ketchup comment was in response to Zare's 1996 claims of organic compounds on meteorites found in Antarctica. NASA's discovery is something different.

    2. Re:Not Exciting to the General Public by burisch_research · · Score: 1

      Maybe Curiousity found tomato sauce?

      --
      char*f="char*f=%c%s%c;main(){printf(f,34,f,34);}";main(){printf(f,34,f,34);}
    3. Re:Not Exciting to the General Public by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I know, what am I doing RTFA, but to be clear, this was attributed to Richard Zare about a discovery he was in the same situation in 1996. The main scientist the article is about is John Grotzinger.

    4. Re:Not Exciting to the General Public by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So, we can safely assume the new iphone or twilight has definetly not been unmarsed (unearthed), because that is probably the only things that would excite a teenage girl

    5. Re:Not Exciting to the General Public by SpectreBlofeld · · Score: 1

      Apparently, so was the food.

    6. Re:Not Exciting to the General Public by Sulphur · · Score: 1

      Maybe Curiousity found tomato sauce?

      After the war of the killer tomatoes?

    7. Re:Not Exciting to the General Public by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Quick: figure out what school his daughter goes to, and enlist one of her friends to offer her a Twinkie if she'll spill the beans. We could speed up the publication process considerably!

  103. They found... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    a sea shell.

  104. Moon soil by genericmk · · Score: 1

    Maybe they've figured out that our Moon is the missing part of Mars?

  105. Earthworms. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Earthworms. Er, Marsworms. =)

  106. Where's the kaboom? by jd2112 · · Score: 3, Funny

    There was supposed to be an Earth-shattering kaboom!

    --
    Any insufficiently advanced magic is indistinguishable from technology.
  107. Seconded by Iamthecheese · · Score: 1

    NASA has a history of overhyping results. My guess is an oxycarbon.

    --
    If video games influenced behavior the Pac Man generation would be eating pills and running away from their problems.
  108. Doesn't anybody here have any imagination? by Darth+Snowshoe · · Score: 2

    I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess alkaloids. This is just from the level of excitement in the SAM guy's voice, relative to the complexity of the organics. If he really discovered long strands of DNA, he'd be jumping up and down and wetting his pants. I didn't hear that.

    1. Re:Doesn't anybody here have any imagination? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Conspiracy-theorist that I am, I wonder if an announcement of finding Mars-origin DNA would actually be released to the public.

    2. Re:Doesn't anybody here have any imagination? by ColdWetDog · · Score: 1

      I don't think SAM could tease out long strands of DNA from a mix. Could be wrong but from a brief perusal of the SAM description, it appears that it could tell you whether there were complicated organics but not necessarily the structure.

      Anybody actually have more info?

      --
      Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
    3. Re:Doesn't anybody here have any imagination? by Muad'Dave · · Score: 1

      I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess alkaloids.

      Do you think they found the tin the altoids came in, or just the mints themselves?

      --
      Tiller's Rule: Never use a word in written form that you've only heard and never read. You will end up looking foolish.
  109. Not to be negative... by blind+biker · · Score: 1

    ...but do you remember when they played up the discovery of bacteria that used arsenic instead of phosphorus in some of its proteins? Actually, the way they prepared the public, people thought it was alien life of some sort. Then it turned out to be this bacteria using arsenic..... which wouldn't be too shabby, until it turned out that the results were wrong. :(

    So, I'm not working up my hopes too high.

    --
    "The agriculture ministry is not in charge of Gundam" - Japanese ministry official.
    1. Re:Not to be negative... by ceoyoyo · · Score: 1

      Bacteria that used arsenic instead of phosphorous in it's DNA would be alien life of a sort.

  110. I'm guessing this... by Minwee · · Score: 4, Funny

    NASA just saved a bunch of money on their rover insurance by switching to GEICO.

    1. Re:I'm guessing this... by oh_my_080980980 · · Score: 1

      LMOL....

    2. Re:I'm guessing this... by Jason+Levine · · Score: 1

      This was right after they discovered geckos on Mars.

      --
      My sci-fi novel, Ghost Thief, is now available from Amazon.com.
  111. Seen this before... by paradigm82 · · Score: 1

    Am I the only one who remembers last time NASA did this? Back in 2010 they made a lot of marketing fluff about a discovery of a new life form etc. etc. http://science.slashdot.org/story/10/11/30/1846255/curious-nasa-pre-announcement Many assumed it would have to be about NASA finding indications of life in some other planets (even if it was only indirect evidence of some chemical sort it would be huge). Well, it turned out the news was that they had found a microbe (on earth) that had apparently had some uptake of arsenic when deprived of phosphorous. This was interpreted as the organism using arsenic instead of phosphorous in its DNA (though this had not at all been verified) and that this had huge implications for the search of life in space. If that wasn't disappointment enough, the discovery later came under fire and later research found no evidence of any arsenic uptake, so it was all just a bunch of crap to begin with. In other words, just because NASA makes huge announcements and calls enormous press conferences days in advance, don't hold your breath. It could be nothing more than... well, nothing.

  112. GOLD! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    There's gold in them thar hills! The next gold rush is on. I claim 98% of the planet for my gold exploration consortium The Mars Gold Defilers. Anybody have a spaceship I can borrow?

  113. I know what they found by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They found Barack Obama's birth certificate, expect an announcement from Donald Trump soon.

  114. Solid Gold by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Yep, Mars is made of Gold, Solid Gold.

  115. Water by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    NASA confirms (again, for the umpteenth time) that there is water on Mars...

  116. Give us a hint! by WaffleMonster · · Score: 1

    If in fact you do make contact with Martians please let me know right away. I've got a lot of other things on my plate but I suspect that that would go to the top of the list even if they're just microbes. -prez O

    I'm "curious"...can I at least ask if you talked to Obama about this?

  117. Well...nazis...clearly... by Jedi+Holocron · · Score: 1

    Nazis on Mars...I mean, they made it to the Moon!

  118. WTF by letherial · · Score: 1

    I got this earth shattering news, it will change your life, your children's life and your children's children's life. But first i must make sure i am correct, stay tuned!

  119. Theromodynamics by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    You are suggesting that one could expend some energy to split C02 into carbon and oxygen, then burn coal (carbon) in oxygen to release some energy and create C02.

    Do you see the problem here? Even if your methods were 100 percent efficient, you would produce exactly zero net energy. Not to mention the fact that you wouldn't need the coal you started with.

    1. Re:Theromodynamics by jythie · · Score: 1

      I was wondering how much the cost of using plant matter to do the work (so nutrients + sunlight) compare against directly converting sunlight via some kind of solar panel compare against each other.

    2. Re:Theromodynamics by mug+funky · · Score: 1

      there's more to it than that. given there's an external energy source as well (the sun), using some of this energy to transform dirt into something useful is absolutely worth doing, even at low efficiencies. if it's 10% efficient, send 10 little fuel factories up, or wait 10 times longer with just one.

  120. Well, I'm not believing anything... by rez_rat · · Score: 1

    until Netcraft confirms it!

  121. It's not a big discovery by markdowling · · Score: 1

    until Marco Rubio finds proof of it in the bible.

  122. Old spacesuit? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Did they find an old space suit hanging from a pole, with a sign reading "Hang head, vandal"?

  123. "discoveries" on Mars by danielpauldavis · · Score: 1

    Is anyone testing for whether that "find" came from earth in first place?

    --
    Cranky educator.
    1. Re:"discoveries" on Mars by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yes.

    2. Re:"discoveries" on Mars by uvajed_ekil · · Score: 1

      Yes, believe it or not, you are not the only one who has thought of that.

      --
      This is a hacked account, for which the owner can not be held responsible.
  124. Mass Effect by cbhacking · · Score: 1

    Clearly, it's eezo.

    --
    There's no place I could be, since I've found Serenity...
  125. Jimmy Hoffa!!! by cephus440 · · Score: 1

    Please tell him that the Machus Red Fox Restaurant wants him to finally pay his bill!

    1. Re:Jimmy Hoffa!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You big dummy, how about a knuckle sammich. Oh sorry wrong Red Fox.

  126. Re:Let me guess.... by BitZtream · · Score: 1

    Not all cells are alive. They do die. Exfoliation is (in theory) supposed to remove the dead cells and leave the living.

    --
    Persistent Volume manager for Kubernetes - https://github.com/dwimsey/openshift-pvmanager
  127. I bet they found... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Prothean Ruins!
    And ahead of schedule too!

  128. They've finally found... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...Jimmy Hoffa.

  129. Curiosity has discovered... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    .. that the earth is flat after all

  130. H4ck3D! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I bet they've discovered those pesky little green have hacked Curiosity.

    Now bring in the drones to annihilate this new threat to our cyber security!

  131. Maybe iotopically light isotopes by Diamonddavej · · Score: 1

    Maybe they detected carbon, nitrogen and sulphur with an unusual light isotopic signatures. Terrestrial life preferentially accumulates lighter isotopes. Isotopic biomarkers in ancient terrestrial rocks have been used to support the exitance of terrestrial life, 3.8 billion years ago, when Earth and Mars were very similar.

    It would be a historic result, quite robust evidence supporting life on an early Mars.

    Zuilen, M. van 2008. Stable Isotope Ratios as a Biomarker on Mars. Space Science Reviews 135(1-4), 221–232.

  132. Liquid Water by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    H20 in liquid form under the surface of the planet

  133. Oil by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I would love it if we found oil on Mars. Near impossible, I know, but it would not only push us to get there but our greenhousing up the place won't be a bad thing.

  134. dont worry by Pirulo · · Score: 0

    Whatever it is, God put it there to test your faith

  135. Curiosity has discoverd ...Kli Yang? by Kittenman · · Score: 1

    Or Kli Morg, or Kli Dreen - or even Sug Farn. A great bunch of guys. And excellent chess players.

    --
    "The greatest lesson in life is to know that even fools are right sometimes" - Winston Churchill
  136. They already announced that by localroger · · Score: 1

    Several weeks ago, and that the water was flowing and about waist deep.

    --
    Brackets contain world's first nanosig, highly magnified:[.]
  137. Longest distance tweet evah? by gelfling · · Score: 1

    Because between that and premiering hip hop tunes from space and Muslim outreach there isn't a whole lot of anything that NASA promotes anymore. Maybe there's some science and engineering but it's not their prime focus

  138. No seriously... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They would tells us what they've found but first they must determine who this Kuato guy is and why he's telling this dude Quaid to start the reactor!

  139. Hype by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    NASA creating a hype to justify their budget?

  140. Are they? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Let's consider the possibility that they've actually done it. What if they've found evidence not for microbial life in the past, but current, existing Mars lifeforms.

    You'd want to double-check on that one, right?

    1. Re:Are they? by bugs2squash · · Score: 2

      You wouldn't leak it ahead of checking it though, maybe not even after checking it. You'll know they've found life when they say nothing for a while.

      --
      Nullius in verba
  141. Methane by Cro+Magnon · · Score: 1

    Proof that at some point in time, something farted on Mars.

    --
    Slow down, cowboy! It has been 4 hours since you last posted. You must wait another few hours.
  142. Please! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Please let it be Cranberries this time. Blueberries are not as tasty.

  143. water found? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Water has already been found on Mars. Maybe this time it's also water, but... in a bottle?

  144. Donald Trump? by wcrowe · · Score: 1

    Is Donald Trump running NASA now?

    --
    Proverbs 21:19
  145. Finally by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    they found Jimmy Hoffa

  146. How are you sure they're the evil version? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Maybe we are.

    That said, kudos on the Star Trek reference.

  147. It's obvious... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Mars has men who need women!

  148. They are waiting for a second photo by Grayhand · · Score: 1

    They are hesitant to release the photo of a Martian mooning the camera since it was a single image but they hope a second photo will confirm that Martians in fact have asses.

  149. They finally found by lahvak · · Score: 1

    the weapons of mass destruction.

    --
    AccountKiller
    1. Re:They finally found by uvajed_ekil · · Score: 1

      the weapons of mass destruction.

      Oops, never mind, they aren't there either.

      --
      This is a hacked account, for which the owner can not be held responsible.
  150. It's a rock! by bickerdyke · · Score: 1

    I bet it'll be a rock that is surprisingly earth-like and wouldn't be the least intresting if it had been found in, say, Iowa.

    --
    bickerdyke
  151. Voyager found them by u64 · · Score: 1

    Voyager season 3 episode 23
    https://wikipedia.org/wiki/Distant_Origin

    A good-enough Voyager episode that i actually enjoyed.

  152. Re:Let me guess.... by PortHaven · · Score: 0

    Uh, I think I just insinuated it...

    a) that a few bacteria on Mars can be called "life"

    b) that a fetus can be called "not life", even at minutes before term

    c) that it's a part of the woman's body, when it in fact has distinct DNA that is unique to itself, differing from both the mother and father. But distinctly human. Now if you want to say the fetus is a parasite, that's being a bit more honest. But to say it's not life, pretty much takes throwing out science.

  153. It's an exofart by Bruce+Perens · · Score: 1

    It's likely an exofart - methane detected by the SAM sensor. The idea is that life that is somewhat like ours would produce methane, while an absence of methane would mean that there isn't life like ours.

  154. Small Nugets of (semi-)precious metals by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    In the pictures from the digging tool that have been published by NASA.

  155. Hostess Headquarters: Irving, Texas by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Although they certainly sell their products in Washington and your point is well taken.

    1. Re:Hostess Headquarters: Irving, Texas by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 1

      Hostess has only been in Irving since 2004. It was headquartered in Missouri, but there's been a Hostess Bakery in Seattle since the 1930s.

      --
      #DeleteChrome
  156. 473,402 reasons I don't care. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    And about 8 million more that should have been on the rolls.

  157. Yeah. I was disappointed too. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I mean, I wanted to like it. I really did. When I heard it via NASA's website, I figured the streaming audio was somehow harming the song. So I bought and downloaded the darn thing. I gave it more than a couple listens. I really wanted to like it.

    I hated it.

    I would have gone with the theme to Star Trek instead. At least then it would have been connected to a relevant inspiration for some and have been acknowledged on the news as a, "Oh, those nerds at NASA. How cute."

    I don't recall any of the major networks or my local news mentioning Reach for the Stars. Did you see this, did I miss it?

  158. I claim the 2% with the gold and the gold therein. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    LAND USE NOTICE

    All that pesky archaeological evidence about Venetian astronauts landing on Mars before the destruction of their planet as a result of runaway global warming and chemical warfare will be destroyed due to the mining activities of my corporation, Fuckeverbody Inc.

    CEO: Kane
    CFO: Kudos

    LAND USE NOTICE

  159. Sorry everyone. by Metricmouse · · Score: 1

    "It was just an instrument malfunction, but stay tuned for further crazy and Earth-shattering announcements after these brief messages!" or "Mom I'm going to Stanford!" "Really?" "Yes! I mailed the application yesterday."

  160. uh oh, Marco Rubio by uvajed_ekil · · Score: 1

    So if Marco Rubio can't say how old the Earth is, what will he do if life originating more than 10,000 years ago on Mars is found? Will his head literally explode, will he resign and simply go away, or will he just make a poor attempt to not answer any further questions? I'm betting on that last choice.

    --
    This is a hacked account, for which the owner can not be held responsible.
  161. The Winslow by Nefarious+Wheel · · Score: 1

    If they found The Winslow, it would forever change our political and religious landscape. Ask Professors Foglio.

    --
    Do not mock my vision of impractical footwear
  162. David Bowie? by masmullin · · Score: 1

    Sailors fighting in the dance hall
    Oh man, look at those cavemen go
    it's the freakiest show
    take a look at the lawman beating up the wrong guy
    Oh man, wonder if he'll ever know
    He's in the best selling show

    Is there life on Mars?

  163. Zardoz?!?!?!?!? by HalAlpha · · Score: 1

    Zardoz?

    --
    "If I can't dance, I don't want to be part of your revolution" - Emma Goldman
  164. seriously, what *could* the SAM have detected? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I can't believe that after 477 comments, no one at slashdot is geeky enough to step forward and enumerate a list of possible earth-shattering discoveries that SAM could have made based on its intrinsic capabilities. Unfortunately, I have no idea. But does anyone? (I understand it might be a very long list. But maybe we could start?) I mean seriously, the guy is basically inviting us to play a game by telling us SAM found something incredible but refusing to say what. Let's play!

  165. I'll bet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They've found proof that something unlikely happened on Mars in the recent geologic past, i.e. in the last hundred million years.

    Probably interesting. Definitely of great scientific importance. Hardly exciting.

    I love scientists :). Really, I do.

  166. It's not that. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They refuse to make an error like either of those. An error wouldn't be an issue a correction situation, this would be career ending - period. That's why they're double-checking.

  167. And there's a Starbucks in Beijing. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Doesn't make it a Chinese company.

  168. They've already done that with Curiosity. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They found natural concrete that forms only in water. This is bigger.

  169. This isn't the same scale. This is bigger. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    This isn't a possible novelty in Mono Lake that only excites and appeals to biologists.

    This may be something that grabs the attention of all humankind.

    You don't screw with something like that.

    Read the article, they're double-checking.

  170. He absolutely did not. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    This isn't the same as an obscure scientist with two jobs misconstruing the findings of the makeup of an extremophile on Earth. If you read the damn article, you would find that he bit his lip and said they would report in several weeks. If you found possible definitive proof of life on Mars, wouldn't you want to be sure before you announced it?

    Arsenic being used in the place of phosphorous in DNA is of interest to biologists.
    Life on Mars, however limited it may be, is of interest to all mankind.

    In several weeks' time he may apologize. Major networks won't even acknowledge it. The average viewer won't remember it. Only /. will whine about it. He'll keep his job. Life will go on.

    Alternatively he will announce something of some interest, but not really terribly exciting. Major networks might mention it, but it's doubtful. The average viewer won't remember it. Only /. will whine about it. He'll keep his job. Life will go on.

    Or the big thing. Additional tests will have confirmed the finding. It'll be significant like the discovery of extraterrestrial microbial life. Major networks will go nuts. The average viewer will remember it. The wider public will respond to it. Interest in the sciences will increase. Religious fanatics will go berserk. Major religions will simply adjust. Everyone on /. will claim they knew all along.

  171. Romney's Taxes!!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    It's about time. A bit late, but about time.

  172. "Earth-Shaking" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Seriously, my guess is that they are finally able to prove that at some point Mars and Earth collided to form our Moon. I'm banking on this because of the quotation marks and the possible ridiculous pun. If this is the case, that's neat. Insert SpidermanTakingAPictureWithCamera.JPG .

  173. WE FOUND LIFE! by DarthVain · · Score: 1

    However SAM vapourized it in studying it, so now it no longer exists. Until we can find some more to vapourize.

  174. False alarm: stand down everyone.... by Squidlips · · Score: 1

    According to this French site (as related on http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/ Michael Cabane, scientific co-investigator on SAM says that there is no spectacular findings from the SAM instrument: http://www.cieletespace.fr/node/9823 I think that the announcement, if any, will concern hydrated minerals at Glenelg, possibly newly hydrated minerals such as salts. A Big Deal for planetary geologists, but not a bio-signature.

  175. Obviously... by Gallomimia · · Score: 1

    Something stepped on the rover, and they're just trying to clean up the video and figure out what it was!

    --
    Sadly, a Libertarian cannot force his views on another, and freedom cannot spread as does the cancer known as religion.
  176. A gateway to Uranus? by antdah · · Score: 1

    Sure would come in handy as they could just shove future probes and cut mission costs to a mere fraction.

  177. Re:Let me guess.... by PortHaven · · Score: 1

    Modded to a 0, but I'd like to see anyone discount what I just stated...

    Thank you for proving that "lefties" like to pick and choose their science too.

  178. I know what it is... by DiEx-15 · · Score: 1

    ...they found either life or they found out that life could live on Mars. That is why they are being so hush hush and making sure it is what they think it is.

  179. Finally by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Gee. Wearing my tinfoil hat has become almost second nature. Did the Martians wear them too?

  180. I believe I know what it is... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    They found a living microbe.

  181. It's by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    a large black monolith

  182. The rover has moved on by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Since the 'discovery' the rover has moved on to another site If it was life wouldn't we camp out there for several months?

  183. They found a rock! by luk3Z · · Score: 0

    They found a rock!

    --
    Recipes for USA bankrupt - http://tinypaste.com/0d66f dd = dollar deluge (printed in the infinity)
  184. Everyone ready for the Big Dissapointment today? by Squidlips · · Score: 1

    Don't blame NASA or JPL or even Grotz on this one: It is our own fault for building up the hype.