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Phoenix has Found Something More Compelling than Water

astroengine.com — On Thursday, NASA held a press conference to announce that the recent TEGA experiment on board Phoenix had confirmed the presence of water in the Martian soil. Whist exciting, Phoenix scientists were expecting that result. However, behind the scenes, something else was being discussed and it had little to do with melting water….

Who dugg this? Made popular Aug 2, 2008

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  • MacSuxWindozSux, on 08/02/2008, -116/+483Sorry if I offend anyone but these people should either tell people what happened or ***** off.

    Telling everyone theres been a huge breakthrough, and then telling everyone to wait weeks to find out what it even is, after George Bush of all people gets to filter what we can and cannot know is *****.

    I mean it was OK to say theres water, before your report is done, but somehow possible life or something else needs to wait for a Filter and a full report. The Filter used? Same one that blacks out any mention of Climate Change from scientific reports.
  • Sornos, on 08/02/2008, -35/+342You want to know why NASA is taking their time? Because the public, that means people like you, does not understand science. Science is not about a yes/no situation where the answer is clear. You need to do hundreds (if not thousands) of retests to confirm results.
    So if Phoenix found something important (say, like some enzymes), they'll need to take their time and confirm it as not being a mechanical error, or a software error, or contamination or thousands of other possible factors that could mess up a result. If they released right after the first test to the public, taking the same example again, that they found signs of life existing now or in the past, then a few months later. they found out it was Earth borne contamination, the public, being what they/you are, would immediately start to question whatever NASA says and lose faith in NASA and science in general.
    NASA would go to the brass first at this stage to request more funding. Because, as I've said before, science is not at exact science, you need people and equipment to test things more than once. The more people, the more equipment, the more money you need. Who gives you money, if you're NASA? The government.
    So cool your jets. This is all standard procedure which is there for a reason. Evil Bush and Evil Cheney aren't chortling over glasses of brandy while they black out this data.
    As for me, I'm ***** exited.
  • Shogi, on 08/02/2008, -9/+297Maybe they found oil.
  • brincatmark, on 08/02/2008, -10/+271no they found spaghetti trails . .
  • Swil, on 08/02/2008, -64/+267If NASA really want to get a man to Mars quickly they just need to tell Dubya the lander found some flimsy evidence for WMD's there. There'll be troops over there in no time, no matter the cost.
  • inactive, on 08/02/2008, -7/+156The Phoenix team need more time to analyse the complex data.
  • brincatmark, on 08/02/2008, -4/+119that would mean there once were LOADS of living things
  • kyleflan, on 08/02/2008, -4/+100bin Laden?
  • chanop, on 08/02/2008, -4/+96The camera caught an alien blinking in through a window.....
  • sdipaola, on 08/02/2008, -20/+110life on mars ( any level) would have huge issues for Organized Religion.

    Most religions like Christianity - are earth centric. If you show both that there are billions of stars which most likely have planets AND the very next planet to us - the first planet we ever check - has life -- well that implies there must be life - intelligent life all over the place. So does Jesus tour the planets or is he just our local god. Basically it shows the utter simplicity of most religions.
  • inactive, on 08/02/2008, -13/+100Then they should wait to say that they've found something great in the first place, until they can actually say it.
  • urgeigh, on 08/02/2008, -4/+90Well slap me in the face and call me a nerd but I am anxious, and somewhat excited to hear more..
  • Brad324, on 08/02/2008, -8/+83no, just tell him they found oil on mars
  • wonderchemist, on 08/02/2008, -9/+81Cause no where does it says in the Bible that god also created life on Mars.
  • ordig, on 08/02/2008, -2/+74Wait a second. Phoenix isn't equipped to detect life, but it has a microscope on board.

    Couldn't it potentially see bacterium in the soil?
  • StuartGibson, on 06/14/2009, -2/+72I just had a thought - do vegans drive cars/use plastic etc. After all, it is an animal product ultimately.
  • isunktheship, on 08/02/2008, -2/+71Oh *****, voice of reason!
  • CChandler2423, on 08/02/2008, -2/+69What's more compelling than water? Unless it's a living creature, or a Wii fit, I don't care.
  • spiffistan, on 08/02/2008, -1/+67The entire article (my preemptive excuse):

    On Thursday, NASA held a press conference to announce that the recent TEGA experiment on board Phoenix had confirmed the presence of water in the Martian soil. Whist exciting, Phoenix scientists were expecting that result. However, behind the scenes, something else was being discussed and it had little to do with melting water…

    Having just covered this story on the Universe Today, I can’t help but be intrigued. Apparently, an undisclosed Phoenix scientist has been in communication with Aviation Week concerning a “compelling” discovery on the Red Planet. What could this news be? Obviously it’s something important as NASA and the University of Arizona are going to great lengths to keep the det ails out of the public domain. Plus, Phoenix scientists have presented their preliminary findings to the Bush Administration’s Presidential Science Advisor. The report suggests that there has been an even more significant discovery from the robotic explorer, not only from the Thermal and Evolved Gas Analyzer (or “TEGA,” the instrument used to bake Martian samples) which confirmed the presence of water, but from the Microscopy, Electrochemistry, and Conductivity Analyzer (MECA) instrument. MECA has apparently found even more evidence for the “potential for life” on Mars. But this “evidence” will be the biggest discovery yet.

    However, the Phoenix team need more time to analyse the complex data they’ve received and will wait till mid-August at the earliest to make a press release. Scientists are keen to point out that they have not discovered direct evidence for life on Mars (after all, Phoenix is not equipped to do this), but the indication is this new data will be even more profound than the discovery of water.

    As if that wasn’t enough, it looks like they’ve had to take this news to the top. Advising the White House is a pretty big deal, so we’ll just have to wait and see what Phoenix has uncovered…

    For more on this exciting development, see The White House is Briefed: Phoenix About to Announce “Potential For Life” on Mars.
  • scabbers, on 08/02/2008, -9/+74A black monolith? A buried spider-looking space ship?

    A giant fossilized penis?

  • seanc2112, on 08/02/2008, -13/+78MANBEARPIG!
  • zplot, on 08/02/2008, -4/+65We can only speculate for now, but I can't wait till mid-August to hear what this can be... unicellular life forms, perhaps? Transformers? :)
  • Sakumi, on 08/02/2008, -12/+70They need to verify what they have found, and have it independently verified.. you know.. scientific process?
  • jaymzz, on 08/02/2008, -6/+57A memo - "Mars determined to attack inside the U.S." - which will promptly be ignored.
  • inactive, on 08/02/2008, -2/+40... or that oil really is abiotic
  • DavidinBoston, on 08/02/2008, -17/+50Fox "News" Special Report: DID SADDAM HUSSEIN BURY HIS WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION ON MARS? WE REPORT YOU DECIDE.

    (satire, oh fox news lawyers - satire.)
  • jmkiii, on 08/02/2008, -1/+33Spaghetti loves you too.
  • Lyk4n, on 08/02/2008, -4/+36*Slap!* Nerd.
  • SkinnerBox, on 08/02/2008, -6/+38This would all but end the evolution v. creation debate.

    It's not a ***** aimed at Christianity's *****, just those people who refuse to accept standard knowledge about the universe and happen to do so because they are Christian.

    Than again, maybe they found God up there and he has a "W for president" bumper sticker on his ass and the administration is trying to figure out how to spin that in to a third term. That's just as likely as seperately evolved life, right?
  • Depthfunction, on 08/02/2008, -2/+33So a major scientific discovery is made and the first person you tell is . . . Bush??
  • inactive, on 08/02/2008, -4/+34Bacterial life off the Earth?

    Muslims will riot, Christians will claim they always knew, Buddhists will let their hair grow, Jews won't give a *****, and Hindus will worship it.
  • halfdirt, on 08/02/2008, -0/+30I love spaghetti!
  • modafekshen, on 08/02/2008, -6/+34***** up? If you mean planetary heating, that is what Mars needs.
  • krolm, on 08/02/2008, -3/+30prothean technology?
  • Tenlow, on 08/02/2008, -3/+30So wait until then to say something is the point of this argument.

    "I know something you don't know... and I'm not telling you what it is" went out of style in the second grade. It was lame then too.
  • isunktheship, on 08/02/2008, -13/+40just because they don't want to release the information yet doesn't mean George Bush was involved in any way... jesus christ, you people!

    something disagreeable happens -> ??? -> George Bush to blame

    I agree that they should tell people what happened, but like Sakumi pointed out, the reason they haven't is because they're not sure of their results
  • KJSatz, on 08/02/2008, -0/+26RAmen. Our faith will be rewarded.
  • BattleChimp, on 08/02/2008, -0/+26His noodly appendages reach throughout the universe, my friend.
  • MasterGrief, on 08/02/2008, -0/+26I think something already did.
  • shadowman99, on 08/02/2008, -10/+35Why would news of simple life need a filter from the White House? If Mars has life it's most likely single cell or colony organisms.

    Jebus, even if they found something the size of an ant, it would be remarkable but hardly something that would cause panic in the streets.

    This is why people are sick of W.
  • chaosblade77, on 08/02/2008, -0/+25Yeah, he'd make up the WMD's and terrorists on his own.
  • lrdntwnd, on 08/02/2008, -4/+29FSM FTW!
  • candre23, on 08/02/2008, -1/+24Here's a similar article, in case this one is down: http://www.universetoday.com/2008/08/02/the-white- ...
  • Ryan0617, on 08/02/2008, -5/+28Maybe we can ***** up mars as well?
  • textrant, on 08/02/2008, -0/+22No, this is just some viral campaign for Cloverfield 2. Trust me.
  • sockpuppets, on 08/02/2008, -4/+26I'm so excited, I just can't hide it.
    I'm about to lose control and I think I like it.
  • rajkalex, on 08/02/2008, -0/+20Try to tell me you wouldn't care if they found some guys lost wallet on Mars. You'd care, don't deny it.
  • stonedthot, on 08/02/2008, -5/+25Melting water?
  • inactive, on 08/02/2008, -1/+20I know any non brainwashed christian would not have a problem with accepting life on other planets. Im scared of the ones who still think dinosaurs never existed.
  • theOster, on 08/02/2008, -0/+18Bin Laden!!!
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