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What's the Mystery Find on Mars?

Scientists working on NASA's six-wheeled rover on Mars have a problem. But it's a good problem.
They 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.
[…]
John Grotzinger, the principal investigator for the rover mission, says they recently put a soil sample in SAM, and the analysis shows something earthshaking. "This data is gonna be one for the history books. It's looking really good," he says.

My hopes are high that something of real significance has been discovered – but then, I have been disappointed more than once.

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Joseph P on November 25, 2012 at 10:32am

Or even the fossils of previously-existing life would be awesome.

Permalink Reply by Madhukar Kulkarni on November 26, 2012 at 9:35am

Such as a human bone?

Permalink Reply by Joseph P on November 26, 2012 at 11:40am

Heh heh heh heh heh. No, not quite that earthshaking. Fossils of previously-existing microbial life or very simple multi-cellular organisms, I mean. I don't think Mars had enough time to develop anything very complex. It cooled pretty rapidly, being so much smaller and further from the sun.

Permalink Reply by Jared Pennell on November 30, 2012 at 12:02pm

NASA came out saying that there was nothing of importance, I guess what there looking for is Hydrogen

Permalink Reply by Joseph P on November 30, 2012 at 1:50pm

This is an update? Were they mistaken about what they thought they had found?

Permalink Reply by Susan Stanko on November 30, 2012 at 2:18pm

This is from their website:

NASA will provide a Curiosity update on Monday,
Dec. 3 at noon EST, at the American Geophysical Union. Rumors of major new findings at this early stage are incorrect.

The news conference will discuss Curiosity's use of instruments to investigate a drift of sandy soil. Audio and visuals from the briefing will be available via UStream.

Permalink Reply by Joseph P on November 30, 2012 at 7:49pm

Nice. So, we're still on for a big, shocking discovery?

Permalink Reply by Jared Pennell on December 1, 2012 at 2:43pm

If I recall the last time they had a major announcement is was something dull and not very major. but yeah were still waiting, the NASA scientist that came out and hinted toward life was jumping the gun and didnt know what he was talking about apparently.

Permalink Reply by Joan Denoo on December 3, 2012 at 11:38am

Interested in a Ticket to Mars?

Well, isn't that special?! We can just continue as we are, polluting our waters, soils, and air and when the temperature gets too high we can just pay $500, 000 per person, and go to Mars. Don't know what housing will cost, though. Maybe that would be a bit costly, too. Or we could stop trying so hard to make Earth like Mars.

Isn't that special?

Permalink Reply by John Jubinsky on December 3, 2012 at 4:58pm

The findings should be interesting to follow.

Permalink Reply by Jim DePaulo on December 3, 2012 at 5:25pm

Actually, NASA has thrown cold water on the parade -

John Grotzinger, the principal investigator for the rover mission, says they recently put a soil sample in SAM, and the analysis shows something earthshaking. "This data is gonna be one for the history books. It's looking really good," he says.

The findings at this point are reported by NASA as only simple organics - so much for the history books.......damn it!

Permalink Reply by Dennis Kelley on December 25, 2012 at 9:42am