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NASA Rover Fails to Turn Up Methane On Mars
The Washington Post is one of many sources to report the possibly disappointing news that NASA's Curiosity rover has failed to find any methane on Mars. "[NASA planetary scientist Michael] Mumma had high hopes for a positive result because he and his colleagues believe they have detected methane on Mars remotely, from telescopes on Earth that can discern the chemical nature of Mars’s atmosphere. A European orbiter around Mars also spotted methane. But the methane has proved ephemeral — now you see it, now you don’t. Mumma said he and his colleagues are reviewing their work to see if there is some error in the mix. Perhaps the methane simply disappears quickly on Mars, through some unknown chemical process. 'It’s possible that we don’t understand something that’s going on in the Martian atmosphere,' said Michael Meyer, lead scientist for NASA’s Mars Exploration Program.'"
On the one hand, we've had a lot of experience with spectroscopy, and on the other we have a rover actually there.
there are no cows on Mars.
As I had long suspected.
As I remember from a discussion we had on Friday the methane detection claim has been held in some doubt because he didn't take the redshift/blueshift context into account. It's likely the ground observation just saw the methane in Earth's atmosphere. The satellite observation is harder to explain -- if the methane was there and disappeared, the forces making it go away would have to be over a hundred times more powerful than it is on Earth, a planet with a much more volatile atmosphere.
Can't find water, can't find their DICP, can't find methane - no wonder they have a hard time finding funding :)
"It’s possible that we don’t understand something that’s going on in the Martian atmosphere" - Ya think?
In truth, this is an excellent result. Some of the most profound scientific discoveries have been preceded by a null result.
How many times have we heard this sequence... "If we look here we should find X... WTF??... Oh!!... Hole crap!!!!!"
The Council has declared a day of rejoicing, relaxation and release as intelligence reports from the blue world confirm that the latest invader from the blue world has failed to detect appreciable quantities of quadrohydrocarbon.
K'Breel, Speaker for the Council, addressed a tightly-clenched world: "Our collective tightening effort over the past year has not gone in vain. Long and hard have we clenched, and now it is time for all right-thinking citizens to reap the rewards. Our symbol must no more be the clenched fist, but the unfolded flower! REJOICE with your podmates, RELAX your cloacae, and RELEASE upon our impoverished atmosphere a deluge of accumulated flatulence so great that the very canyon walls shall shake, enveloping the invaders in dust and cutting off their vital power!"
When a junior reporter reminded the Speaker that the latest invader was powered by something other than mere radiant stellar energy, K'breel, in his mercy, had both of the junior reporter's cloacae sealed until the pressure of accumulated quadrohydrocarbon was released through the second-weakest point of structural failure: the gelsacs.
The martian extractor fan is on!
My ism, it's full of beliefs.
Hint: Farts float
The trouble is being in the wrong spot and at the wrong time and with the wrong equipment and with the wrong people trying to figure things out on the Government dime.
The worst of all worlds.
The Rover didn't manage to find this dup, either.
Are we having daily updates on this topic?
21/09: No methane on Mars ... no methane. Check back tomorrow!
22/09: Still no methane on Mars
23/09: Breaking news
This exciting barrage of news makes the moon landings look pretty boring! Go NASA!
Silly debugging question but how do you they know the sensor is working?
"It’s possible that we don’t understand something.."
How refreshing. A scientist that admits they don't know everything--and quoted on /. I wonder how often scientists neglect to tell us that something isn't known or understood or observable? How often scientists pontificate when they should be quiet. The difference between Science the religion and science the field of study that that the quote reveals is refreshing.
Well now when the first atom bomb was exploded the scientist did take bets on whether or not it would ignite the atmosphere and burn the whole earth. Don't recall but I think the odds where 70/30 against with a very generous payout if it did! I think they, much like computer programmers never admit they are wrong for fear of the bean counters. It must be hard to find a job as a scientist in a nation that wants to go back to teaching creationism!
How long does it have to take before we go from "It's life, Jim, but not as we know it" to "It's dead, Jim"?
xkcd is not in the sudoers file. This incident will be reported.
Mars has a long history of unfulfilled wishful thinking associated with it. Let's not forget Percival Lowell's early telescope observations of the planet leading him to claim it was covered by canals undoubtedly built by an extraterrestrial civilization. Mumma and Meyer's are the modern day Lowells. Other posts in this discussion already have the large error margins in the satellite observations covered, and the scientists behind this ought to have known better. But hey, NASA needs the hype, right? After all, they managed to do the impossible over the last 40 years and make space boring--complete with a shrinking budget.
"Politicians and diapers must be changed often, and for the same reason."
I would have taken that bet and put all my savings on the earth not burning. Who were the idiots betting the other way? What did they think they would do with the money if they won?
They only bet a dollar.... black humor. None of them really knew for sure. If such a device had went off in the distant past it probably would have burned the whole earth.... o2 was much higher at one point... If I remembering my epoch old info... But I'm not sure that was the problem. You would need to google it but they did place a bet and Oppenheimer did say right afterwards "I have become death, distorter of worlds." and not in a cute way. It really freaked him out because he knew he had helped end the world. He was sure what he and his people made would kill all of us. I saw an interview with him and it was clear the man was scared although he hide it well but a few questions you can see it show. Wish I could point you to it but this was years ago and on pbs or something so I donno... I'm talking 1994 here...
And yet this is the method they use to determine the exact makeup and temperature and earthiness of a planet lightyears away. Good job, guys.
... and LPG/LNG on Titan. Lakes, if not oceans of it.
You would think that but wait for it.... You will see....