What is Digg?39 Comments
- ZER0JACK, on 08/15/2008, -0/+11That logo looks like Firefox and IE had an incestious love child.
- jimminy, on 08/15/2008, -0/+7Well, I just realized that humans have put an atomic force microscope on Mars and are actually using it. It is stunning. We are not talking about a basic "a couple lenses and a screw" microscope here.
- Aliwalla, on 08/15/2008, -0/+7This is so awesome and so unbelievably geeky at the same time.
- reined, on 08/15/2008, -0/+5and don't forget: Linux kernel drives the Rover!!!
- magicmarc, on 08/15/2008, -0/+5Direct link to images:
http://phoenix.lpl.arizona.edu/images.php?gID=0&cI ...
Imperial College London (mentioned in the article) seem to be doing well for themselves with Science recently. It wasn't too long ago that there was other big news from them ( http://digg.com/general_sciences/140_year_old_math ... ) - jamessavik, on 08/15/2008, -0/+3The images are just a start. The real interesting stuff will be when they figure out its composition and origin. We've seen pictures taken by the rovers of minerals that only occur when water dries out- how this dust formed is going to answer a lot of questions.
- inactive, on 08/15/2008, -1/+4Your not the only one.
- Culyt, on 08/15/2008, -0/+3It was only around $250mil, that is only a bit more than Oprah makes in a year.
- AmyVernon, on 08/15/2008, -2/+4I wonder what this will mean for Mars research.
- JohnCub, on 08/15/2008, -0/+2I think they are either fighting over mars or in a tailspin over mars.
- jimminy, on 08/15/2008, -0/+2I guess it doesn't get any more interesting than that, except if they find Jimmy Hoffa's body.
- Frost9999, on 08/15/2008, -0/+2And not a little strange that Firefox used to be called Phoenix, then Firebird, then Firefox.
- Frost9999, on 08/15/2008, -1/+3How much English?
- JohnnyXmas, on 08/15/2008, -2/+4I, for one, welcome our new Martian Dust Bunny overlords.
- johnomaz, on 08/15/2008, -0/+2She made $360 million last year. Almost a million a day.
- jayrok, on 08/15/2008, -0/+1Not too shabby - maybe I'll reconsider their online diploma programs.........wait... this is the University of Arizona. Nevermind.
- rodrigo74, on 08/15/2008, -0/+1Coincidently, Firefox project was formerly known as Phoenix (and then Firebird). The tail of the fox in the Firefox logo is still reminescent of that..
http://www.dylanbathurst.com/wp-content/themes/ent ...
/geektrivia - cuoops, on 08/15/2008, -0/+1This animation is a scientific illustration of the operation of NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander's Atomic Force Microscope - http://phoenix.lpl.arizona.edu/video/Sol_79_-2/AFM ...
- magicmarc, on 08/15/2008, -0/+1@d1a1s1
Something more interesting?
Firstly, this may not be interesting to you, but like most things, can be the basis of the next Scientific discovery, eventually leading to something that you may find very exciting.
Secondly, what else do you think is on Mars that is that small? You realize that microscopes look at SMALL things like dust particles, and Mars has a lot of dust. - magicmarc, on 08/15/2008, -0/+1Wikipedia - microscope:
"A microscope (Greek: μικρόν (micron) = small + σκοπεῖν (skopein) = to look or see) is an instrument for viewing objects that are too small to be seen by the naked or unaided eye."
Wikipedia - micro:
"Micro is an English prefix of Greek origin that refers to an object as being smaller than an object or scale of focus"
I'll accept it if I am wrong... but I really can't find anything other than the fact that a microscope looks at small things. - thegrantman, on 08/15/2008, -0/+1All the Whos' in Whoville......
- Iwantawii, on 08/15/2008, -0/+1It's interesting because we as Mankind somehow come into Being out of an incomprehensible number of particles that were forged in the fire of stars. Then we became self aware, conscious, and looked up at the sky and felt a little tingle that we still can't explain and a desire to learn and explore. So in our roughly 200,000 year presence on this planet we studied math, physics, astronomy, chemistry, biology and rocketed a ~800 pound machine ~450 million miles finishing with the most graceful landing possible on a barren, stormy, unknown world that has some staggering evidence of being an Earth-like planet that has run its course and died.
So we dug down into the ground and found water! Proving that our speculations of Mars once having active oceans and rivers were correct! So now we're analyzing smaller particles to see what we could make of it. Can we send another machine to Mars that can construct blocks and other shapes out of these particles? Can we send another machine to Mars that can derive fuel from existing materials and launch a sample back to Earth?
This whole thing is staggering, please keep the grand scheme in perspective. We're on another freakin' planet! Maybe in 100 years we'll have steel robots on all of the rocky planets and blimps on the gaseous ones. So be comfortable at home and in your plot of land but as a species, the only conscious beings in our Known universe, we're going to take over the Universe and expand, learn, find new territory and conquer brave new worlds.
And it all starts with this tiny particle on Mars. We are all alive at a very, very, very interesting time. - iJessicaRabbit, on 08/15/2008, -0/+1That's what I was thinking. I love that logo; it really caught my eye.
- johnomaz, on 08/15/2008, -1/+2Bet NASA wishes they sent some Windex on the mission.
- Kent767, on 08/16/2008, -0/+1Fake....
Looks like CG to me :-p
/sarcasm (tag really necessary?) - grey580, on 08/15/2008, -1/+2Pictures of dust? errrrmmmmm... exciting?
- Iwantawii, on 08/15/2008, -0/+1…coffee
- opticwind, on 08/15/2008, -0/+1When questioned for details, said microscopic particle was quoted as saying "I'm glowing to BLOW UP the Earth" to an aging, gray rabbit.
- thescimitar, on 08/15/2008, -0/+1I'm not an expert, but I inferred that the immediate implication is that many hypotheses about the make up of the atmosphere (or atmospheric conditions) of Mars can now be confirmed or tested with better results. It seems that a lot of the comments here don't understand how difficult it is to develop and test a hypothesis in such an environment.
So at the very least this teaches us several things: firstly, that this "clay" comprises a significant portion of the current Martian environment; secondly, that more can be learned about the environment by analyzing the the particle itself, and thirdly, new hypotheses can be developed based on this new data.
I think falsifiability comes into play a lot when you explore space. If the imaging results for this material showed different physical characteristics, it might have suggested that the red color of Mars and the Martian sky was due to some other phenomenon/a.
Like I said, I'm not really sure myself, but that would be my guess. Kind of like how if you are going to try to explain a natural phenomenon, its better methodology to explain the minutia of that phenomenon than it is to just come up with wild hypotheses and test each one. E.G. Gravity. - inactive, on 08/15/2008, -0/+0What are you expecting, exactly? We've spent hundreds of years getting to know that kind of stuff on this planet.. we gotta start somewhere on Mars.
- d1a1s1, on 08/15/2008, -1/+1You cant look at big things with a microscope?? Do me a favor, go google microscopes then come back and try making a valid point. Thanks
- mrzeero, on 08/15/2008, -1/+1Weren't they going to make some big announcement a couple of weeks ago? WTF.
- reined, on 08/15/2008, -1/+1how much the Irak war, U STUPID!
- smaisch, on 08/15/2008, -1/+1Go U of A!
- Dunnion, on 08/15/2008, -2/+1I love that it sounds like all this stuff was done in Phoenix, when it was a UofA (Tucson, GO CATS!) program, just named Phoenix.
- d1a1s1, on 08/15/2008, -4/+1Fine, but point that thing at something more interesting.
- jacekpoplawski, on 08/15/2008, -4/+1Wow. Dust. In space. Wow.
- d1a1s1, on 08/15/2008, -9/+3I tried, I really tried...but theres no way I can get excited about a microscopic image of a dust particle! How much did this mission cost again??
Browsing Digg on your phone just got easier with our enhancements to the 
© Digg Inc. 2009
— Content created and posted by Digg users is 