Water on mars! Go Phoenix!
- Thread starter Alpha_Geek
- Start date
My guess would be knowing what sublimates at what temps for that given atmospheric pressure.
AG
AG
Very exciting news. For all those that said this would fail,
$450 million to find out there's water on Mars, something they've been 95% sure of for several years.Very exciting news. For all those that said this would fail,
Why am I not laughing?
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If I had to guess, I'd say because of the weird angle while looking down your nose at CaptainDonovin.
It's an important discovery. Cut him a break.
I'm not looking down at, or dismissing anyone's opinion. I just can't get excited about spending millions to prove what we already know, and what doesn't make any difference anyway.
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But we didn't know; we were just pretty sure. Wouldn't you want to be pretty sure before spending all that money on confirming it?
That's better than spending half a billion dollars to say, "I guess not. Damn, that would have been cool."
That's better than spending half a billion dollars to say, "I guess not. Damn, that would have been cool."
And that's well within your right to feel that way. However, 95% certain isn't 100% certain. Proving that there is ice on Mars has far greater implications for the second genesis theory. We knew there was liquid water on the surface at one point thanks to Spirit and Opportunity.
Getting a probe to the surface to prove that the white stuff up there really is water? Major, major accomplishment for mankind.
Of course, but I don't appreciate the 'need' to confirm it. Which of the World's problems is going to be resolved because we know water is on Mars?
As exciting as the exploration of space can be, I'm not nearly as interested in finding fossils on Mars, or microbes on Europa, as I am in finding out how to travel between the stars in 'reasonable' timeframes.
So while finding ice on Mars is mildly interesting, it's not at all surprising and certainly not worth $450 million, IMO.
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A major technical accomplishment for sure, but unless you plan on living on Mars I don't really see the significance, and I'm not optimistic about the colonization of Mars... ever.
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Why not?
There are many places on Earth much more hospitable to human life than Mars, and we don't live there. Why would you want to live on mars when you can just move to the Antarctic desert?
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Mars ain't the kind of place to raise your kids
In fact it's cold as hell --Sir Elton
*shrug* Edmund Hillary decided to camp on Everest and climb it, perhaps you'd be more at ease in Cleveland.
AG
He didn't use my tax money to fund his expedition.
Nevertheless, I'm happy for you guys. There's ice on Mars!
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I'm frankly sick of people whining about money wasted on NASA programs, considering NASA's entire budget's a microscopic sliver of the entire Federal budget. There are lot of wastes of money right here on Earth. Let's cut the scientific community and NASA some slack. There's something to be said for pure research. Not everything has to materially benefit someone.
The sarcasm is hardly necessary. You have your opinions, while others have theirs. The needs of Earth are legion, but they include the need to explore and learn and achieve. And dream.
What you're seeing in this mission is what has been clamored for by many critics of the space program for years: more robotic missions, fewer manned missions. There is still more to go, as even a scientist in the very article admits:
Practical interstellar travel, however unlikely or impossible it may be, will b e built upon the steps taken today. That may well include establishing an outpost on Mars or the Moon. If water can be found there, it makes such a venture more possible because less water will have to be taken in transit.
There is still plenty to be done here on Earth, very true. Maybe if we were to divert every dollar to solving them ... we might make a dent. I'm not so sure we could. But I do recognize that the money spent seems almost gaudy when compared to other things it could be spent on. However, considering the comparatively small budget I feel this is money well spent. Dreams, science ... and even jobs are still in demand and kept alive.
A romanticized view? Perhaps. But it's mine and I think it's still practical.
