By Toby Sterling
The Associated Press

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands — Images relayed by a European space probe reveal the existence of a sea of ice close to the equator of Mars, scientists said yesterday at a conference in the Netherlands. The existence of water or ice would significantly increase the chance that microscopic life may also be found on Mars.

The evidence comes from photographs — not yet published — taken last year by the European Space Agency's Mars Express probe currently orbiting the red planet.

Scientists have long theorized there was once water on Mars, and data from NASA's Mars Rovers have recently appeared to confirm it. But most scientists believed the water had evaporated into the atmosphere early in the planet's history.

"The point is that the ice is very recent: It appears to still be there, covered beneath a layer of dust and ash," said John Murray of Britain's Open University.


http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002187574_mars23.html

__________________
...Tracy

'00 ML320 "Casper"
'92 400E "Stella"

My question is...If it is under layers of dust, how can there be PICTURES of it ?
Besides...the laws of physics would rule out H2O ..Low gravity, low atmospheric pressure and high temperature...do the same to water here and liquid water evaporates and with low gravity dissipates into space.....

I refer to this as support for my supposition.


(A technical note: This is based on a pressure ratio of 0.0056/1,
a surface gravity ratio of 0.38/1.0, and a mass per molecule
ratio of 1.5/1.0 for Mars/Earth.)

Note that Mars has more carbon dioxide in its atmosphere than does Earth, but Mars has a lot less of everything else.
In cold weather, find H2O frost on the surface.

There is CO2 ice in polar caps. Most of it evaporates in summer.

Water ice in the polar caps. Maybe some under the surface. But how much?

How about liquid water?

Really, it can't exist?

Where did the atmosphere go?

Presumably it started out something like Venus.
Put most of CO2 in rocks (using rainfall), as on Earth.
Then the weaker gravity of Mars wasn't able to hold the rest of the atmosphere.
Ultraviolet light helps by breaking up molecules so that they are light enough to escape.
Not enough volcanos to replenish the atmosphere.
No plate tectonics.

Seems to me it is another excuse for 'more funding."..$$$$$$$$$$$$$$.
Like my gran' would say .." If you have a problem with something...follow the money." After all, so what ?

__________________
[http://languageandgrammar.com/2008/01/14/youve-got-problems-not-issues/ ]

"A liberal is someone who feels they owe a great debt to their fellow man, which debt he proposes to pay off with your money."

O.K., here's my take. I'm as facinated as the next guy with the heavens. As a matter of fact I have been moon and stargazing this evening. The rising full moon is brilliant and the stars and planets are more beautiful this time of year than any other time. Back in college I would take my girlfriend (now my wife) on dates up on the roof of the science building to look through the large reflector telescope at the wonders of the universe.

I heard on the radio the other day that a deep space probe (Cassini?) had discovered a new moon around Jupiter (maybe Saturn) and that it had detected liquid water 150 feet below the surface. My first thought was "We need to bring that damn thing back to earth orbit and have it look for Osama or oil or Atlantis!" Jeez man, give us news we can use!!

I'm all for the technology that space exploration brings to us, but right now I'd rather see a closeup of the abandoned moon rover from the 1969 Apollo landing than a closeup of a ring around Uranus!