Imaginarynumber1 Posted November 20, 2012 #1 Share Posted November 20, 2012 (edited) NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has apparently made a discovery "for the history books," but we'll have to wait a few weeks to find out what the new Red Planet find may be, media reports suggest.The discovery was made by Curiosity's Sample Analysis at Mars instrument, NPR reported Tuesday. SAM is the rover's onboard chemistry lab, and it's capable of identifying organic compounds — the carbon-containing building blocks of life as we know it. SAM apparently spotted something interesting in a soil sample Curiosity's huge robotic arm delivered to the instrument recently. "This data is gonna be one for the history books," Curiosity chief scientist John Grotzinger, of Caltech in Pasadena, told NPR. "It's looking really good." Link I wonder if they found organics? Guess we'll just have to wait and see. Keep up the good work, little buddy! Edited November 20, 2012 by Imaginarynumber1 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pallidin Posted November 20, 2012 #2 Share Posted November 20, 2012 Fascinating. Can't wait for the results! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ashotep Posted November 20, 2012 #3 Share Posted November 20, 2012 (edited) I will be looking forward to reading the results of the tests. Oh to be that little robot running around on Mars. Edited November 20, 2012 by Hilander 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hasina Posted November 20, 2012 #4 Share Posted November 20, 2012 Interesting, I look forward to reading more. On a tangent, I always dislike news stories that are best summed as 'there's news! Just not yet!' 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Saru Posted November 20, 2012 #5 Share Posted November 20, 2012 Now this is interesting, I look forward to hearing more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Space Commander Travis Posted November 20, 2012 #6 Share Posted November 20, 2012 You just know it'll turn out to be a disappointment, don't you. These things always are. Of course they'll keep secret about the ancient alien cities. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+OverSword Posted November 20, 2012 #7 Share Posted November 20, 2012 I don't see why they have to tease us. At least say what you think you've got. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CRIPTIC CHAMELEON Posted November 20, 2012 #8 Share Posted November 20, 2012 Is the answer here yet, is the answer here yet, is the answer here yet, sorry I'm like a big kid at times. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Wearer of Hats Posted November 20, 2012 #9 Share Posted November 20, 2012 I'd love it to be water. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sean6 Posted November 20, 2012 #10 Share Posted November 20, 2012 Mars Mystery: What HAS Curiosity Discovered? Science isn't something that just happens overnight. It takes many measurements, oodles of analysis, re-testing and re-analysis before any groundbreaking announcement can be made. So, on the surface of Mars, inside Gale Crater on a plain called Aeolis Palus, our tenacious six-wheeled Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) is doing cutting-edge laboratory work on an alien world and mission scientists are itching to announce a "historic" discovery. "This data is gonna be one for the history books. It's looking really good," John Grotzinger, lead scientist of the MSL mission, said in an interview with NPR. But what is he referring to and why all the secrecy? http://news.discovery.com/space/mars-mystery-what-has-curiosity-discovered-121120.html http://www.space.com/18565-mars-rover-curiosity-discovery-mystery.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imaginarynumber1 Posted November 20, 2012 Author #11 Share Posted November 20, 2012 I want this to be full blown alien bacteria that they found. Full blown Mars AIDS. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waspie_Dwarf Posted November 20, 2012 #12 Share Posted November 20, 2012 But what is he referring to and why all the secrecy? What secrecy? They have announced they have found something and they are going to tell the world what it is at a press conference. This is the standard way of doing things. Announcing to the world something at a press conference is a pretty strange way of keeping it secret I would think. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bison Posted November 20, 2012 #13 Share Posted November 20, 2012 At least when someone from NASA says something like this, I can believe that they will follow through with it, eventually tell what they've discovered, and that it will be worth hearing. If they have already ascertained that the data is 'one for the history books' further delay does seem puzzling. Perhaps whatever it is they've found is important enough to require consultation with the political hierarchy first, before they let it out. Perhaps the President will comment on it, as Bill Clinton did when they thought they'd found fossil microbes in an Antarctic meteorite that originated on Mars. I'm wondering if the discovery of organic material on Mars would justify the 'history books' remark. I doubt that this is what is being referred to, though. The chemistry of Martian soil seems able to destroy organic matter very rapidly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waspie_Dwarf Posted November 20, 2012 #14 Share Posted November 20, 2012 I want this to be full blown alien bacteria that they found. Full blown Mars AIDS. You do know that AIDS is a disease and not a bacteria don't you? You do also know that it is a viral disease and not a bacteriological one? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tipotep Posted November 20, 2012 #15 Share Posted November 20, 2012 What secrecy? They have announced they have found something and they are going to tell the world what it is at a press conference. This is the standard way of doing things. Announcing to the world something at a press conference is a pretty strange way of keeping it secret I would think. Into em Waspie My guess it will be organic , either way It must be something pretty important , holding breath . Tip. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Imaginarynumber1 Posted November 20, 2012 Author #16 Share Posted November 20, 2012 (edited) You do know that AIDS is a disease and not a bacteria don't you? You do also know that it is a viral disease and not a bacteriological one? I do know that, but I choose to ignore that fact in the hopes for contracting full blown Mars AIDS. I almost edited that post to explain that I do, in fact, know that AIDS is the result of a viral infection, but I hoped that the explanation would not be needed as the post was clearly after a jesting fashion. I suppose now I will be inundated with responses of "AIDS is a virus"..... No offence, Waspie, of course. You all get one..... Edited November 20, 2012 by Imaginarynumber1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waspie_Dwarf Posted November 20, 2012 #17 Share Posted November 20, 2012 I don't see why they have to tease us. At least say what you think you've got. Scientists that publish before they are certain often have their reputation damaged or destroyed. They aren't teasing, they are just doing their jobs properly. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bison Posted November 21, 2012 #18 Share Posted November 21, 2012 (edited) If the new finding should turn out to be organic compounds, this will create an interesting situation. The two Viking probes to Mars, in 1976 seemed to detect life. This was doubted, when organic compounds could not be found in the samples. Such compounds should have been found if life was present. If organic compounds do exist on Mars, Viking may have found life on Mars after all. It has been suspected that organic substances did exist at the sites, but were destroyed when the samples were heated. Curiosity has a method of checking for organic compounds at lower temperatures. Edited November 21, 2012 by bison Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seeder Posted November 21, 2012 #19 Share Posted November 21, 2012 Mars Curiosity Rover Makes Earthshaking Discovery; "This Data is Gonna be one for the History Books," says NASA http://m.npr.org/story/165513016 more: https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=Curiosity+Rover+Makes+Earthshaking+Discovery&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&channel=rcs WHOOPEEEEEE !!!!!!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
psyche101 Posted November 21, 2012 #20 Share Posted November 21, 2012 Fascinating! I wonder what it will be? Running water? A new cave system? Dare we hope that life or the remnants of life might have been discovered? The wait is going to be painful....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seeder Posted November 21, 2012 #21 Share Posted November 21, 2012 (edited) Fascinating! I wonder what it will be? Running water? A new cave system? Dare we hope that life or the remnants of life might have been discovered? The wait is going to be painful....... well they mentioned 'air and methane' a few times... edit, having said that maybe I mis read as they also refered to a past 'find' in the same sentence as air and methane, and this time they were analysing soil... hmm we shall see Edited November 21, 2012 by seeder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMacGuffin Posted November 21, 2012 #22 Share Posted November 21, 2012 (edited) If they did find aliens, they'd never tell the public about it. Are you kidding me? Edited November 21, 2012 by TheMacGuffin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seeder Posted November 21, 2012 #23 Share Posted November 21, 2012 (edited) If they did find aliens, they'd never tell the public about it. Are you kidding me? Did you read it? The reveal comes in a couple of weeks once they double check the data.. Edited November 21, 2012 by seeder Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DONTEATUS Posted November 21, 2012 #24 Share Posted November 21, 2012 I am Telling you ! THey are going to find that underground river,date trees,and ancient Martian Citys .Well it wont be that of coarse,but my money is on organics ! Theres a Line in Vegas already ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Likely Guy Posted November 21, 2012 #25 Share Posted November 21, 2012 Did you read it? The reveal comes in a couple of weeks once they double check the data.. A couple of weeks? Great. Just enough fodder time for the 12.21.12 wackos. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now