Phoenix lander spots falling snow on Mars

[Gunny]

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- NASA's Phoenix spacecraft has discovered evidence of past water at its Martian landing site and spotted falling snow for the first time, scientists reported Monday.

Soil experiments revealed the presence of two minerals known to be formed in liquid water. Scientists identified the minerals as calcium carbonate, found in limestone and chalk, and sheet silicate.

But exactly how that happened remains a mystery.

Phoenix lander spots falling snow on Mars - CNN.com

 

[KittenKoder]

That's actually cool.

 

[Abelian Sea]

A laser aboard the Phoenix recently detected snow falling from clouds more than two miles above its home in the northern arctic plains. The snow disappeared before reaching the ground.

Phoenix landed in the Martian arctic plains in May on a three-month mission to study whether the environment could be friendly to microbial life. One of its biggest discoveries so far is confirming the presence of ice on the planet.

Rockin'!

[sports chant]Aich Tu Oh! Aich Tu Oh![/chant]

I so hope we find some life or evidence of life off Earth. We could use the perspective.

 

[jla1178]

"It's beginning to look alot like Christmas everywhere you go."

 

[Gungnir]

I 'mmmm dreaming of a Red dusted dry ice chirstmaaaas.
Just like the ones I used to know...

 

[random3434]

Phoenix lander spots falling snow on Mars - CNN.com

Cool!


Now, Call your home mortgage broker to be the first to buy a time share on Mars!

(It's all inclusive I've heard!)



Really though, this is cool and I'm going to share it with my students tomorrow!

 

[amrchaos]

That is an idea, Echo!!


So, when are we colonizing MARS? Free markets work best when there are new lands (and new consumers on those land!! Expansionism is the key!!)

 

[editec]

That is an idea, Echo!!


So, when are we colonizing MARS? Free markets work best when there are new lands (and new consumers on those land!! Expansionism is the key!!)

Great idea.

Mars seems like a great place to test out that Libertopian theory.

We'll all miss you Atlases, of course.

Write if you get work, k?

 

[Old Rocks]

Well, the Phoenix is dead. Definately extended our knowledge of Mars. A wonderful scientific excersize.

 

[DiveCon]

this is cool
but i wonder how there can be falling snow since there is no atmosphere there

 

[Navy1960]

November 10, 2008 -- NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander has ceased communications after operating for more than five months. As anticipated, seasonal decline in sunshine at the robot's arctic landing site is not providing enough sunlight for the solar arrays to collect the power necessary to charge batteries that operate the lander's instruments.

Phoenix Mars Mission - News

IMHO these programs like NASA expand knowledge and technology and more than worth the money spent on them. In and age when people are looking at cancelling and cutting NASA's budget and asking Russia to ferry our Astronauts aboard Soyuz spacecraft to the ISS after the shuttle retires because the Ares program is not needed, because space exploration is not justified need only look a the amazing discoveries of the Phoenix Lander and the two Mars Rovers Spirit and Opportunity. I added the link to the program web site, so everyone can look at the raw images comming from the lander when it was alive. Thank you Phoenix for all the hard work!!

 

[Andrew2382]

As anticipated, seasonal decline in sunshine at the robot's arctic landing site is not providing enough sunlight for the solar arrays to collect the power necessary to charge batteries that operate the lander's instruments.

Just shows how ineffiecent solar power is and how the tech is far from perfect.

Solar panels only absorb about 10% of the suns power.

I hope Nasa keeps Mars on future plans though

 

[dilloduck]

As anticipated, seasonal decline in sunshine at the robot's arctic landing site is not providing enough sunlight for the solar arrays to collect the power necessary to charge batteries that operate the lander's instruments.

Just shows how ineffiecent solar power is and how the tech is far from perfect.

Solar panels only absorb about 10% of the suns power.

I hope Nasa keeps Mars on future plans though

Why not let the private sector pay for all the neat pictures ?

 

[DiamondDave]

Why not let the private sector pay for all the neat pictures ?

Well.. don't think we really want all the findings to be completely proprietary...

 

[dilloduck]

Well.. don't think we really want all the findings to be completely proprietary...

So we're making huge bucks off these space trips ? I don't think so.

 

[Skeptik]

this is cool
but i wonder how there can be falling snow since there is no atmosphere there

Mars does have an atmosphere. It is a lot thinner than that of Earth, but it is thick enough to support snow, evidently. We know that there are dust storms on Mars as well.

Is there life on Mars, or was there at one time? We still don't know, but we know that there is water, so that question has been answered.

If there is life on Mars, is there also life elsewhere in the universe? Is it a common thing? Are we alone?

How can such questions not stir the curiosity of humankind? If we didn't have such curiosity, we'd still be living in caves.

 

[dilloduck]

Mars does have an atmosphere. It is a lot thinner than that of Earth, but it is thick enough to support snow, evidently. We know that there are dust storms on Mars as well.

Is there life on Mars, or was there at one time? We still don't know, but we know that there is water, so that question has been answered.

If there is life on Mars, is there also life elsewhere in the universe? Is it a common thing? Are we alone?

How can such questions not stir the curiosity of humankind? If we didn't have such curiosity, we'd still be living in caves.

and we wouldn't be having a problem with global warming.

 

[Luissa]

Cool!


Now, Call your home mortgage broker to be the first to buy a time share on Mars!

(It's all inclusive I've heard!)



Really though, this is cool and I'm going to share it with my students tomorrow!

I actually read this old Life magazine article at my doctors office once, because we all know how much time you have at the doctor's office about them creating a faster global warming on Mars with the production of Co2 gases or something so one day we could inhabit mars.
I think the article is from like 96 or something!