Unannounced 'HUGE' discovery on Mars (not water).

[Cosmonaut Profile]

It would appear that the US President has been briefed by Phoenix scientists about the discovery of something more "provocative" than the discovery of water existing on the Martian surface. This news comes just as the Thermal and Evolved Gas Analyzer (TEGA) confirmed experimental evidence for the existence of water in the Mars regolith on Thursday. Whilst NASA scientists are not claiming that life once existed on the Red Planet's surface, new data appears to indicate the "potential for life" more conclusively than the TEGA water results. Apparently these new results are being kept under wraps until further, more detailed analysis can be carried out, but we are assured that this announcement will be huge…

http://www.universetoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/08/phoenix_dig_zone-250x138.jpg
So why is there all this secrecy? According to scientists in communication with Aviation Week & Space Technology, the next big discovery will need to be mulled over for a while before it is announced to the world. In fact, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory science team for the MECA wet-chemistry instrument that made these undisclosed findings were kept out of the July 31st news conference (confirming water) so additional analysis could be carried out, avoiding any questions that may have revealed their preliminary results. They have also made the decision to discuss the results with the Bush Administration's Presidential Science Advisor's office before a press conference between mid-August and early September.

Although good news, Thursday's announcement of the discovery of water on Mars comes as no surprise to mission scientists and some are amused by the media's reaction to the TEGA results. "They have discovered water on Mars for the third or fourth time," one senior Mars scientist joked. These new MECA results are, according to the Phoenix team, a little more complex than the water "discovery." Scientists are keen to point out however, that this secretive news will in no way indicate the existence of life (past or present) on Mars; Phoenix simply is not equipped make this discovery. What it can do is test the Mars soil for compounds suitable to support life. The MECA instrument does have microscopes capable of resolving bacterial-scale life forms however, but this is not the focus of the forthcoming announcement, sources say.

This new MECA discovery, combined with TEGA data will probably expose something more compelling, completing another piece of the puzzle in the search for the correct conditions for life as we know it to survive on Mars. Critical to this search is to understand how the recently confirmed water and Mars regolith behave together under the Phoenix lander in the cold Martian arctic.

The MECA instrument had already made the landmark discovery that Mars "soil" was much like the soil more familiar on Earth. This finding prompted scientists to indicate that the minerals and pH levels in the regolith could support some terrestrial plants, indicating this would be useful for future Mars settlers.

What with the discovery of water, and the discovery that Mars soil is very much like the stuff we find on Earth, it is hard to guess as to what the MECA's second soil test has discovered. What ever it is, it sounds pretty significant, especially as NASA and the University of Arizona are taking extraordinary steps to avoid any more details being leaked to the outside world. I just hope were not getting excited over something benign…

So what will this compelling discovery be? Leave your guess below…

http://www.universetoday.com/2008/08/02/the-white-house-is-briefed-phoenix-about-to-announce-potential-for-life-on-mars/?hl-en=n3

[Drjones Profile]

The story is that they have found a mars bar wrapper!
Strange but true
Well i hope this is something to do with the existence of life!

[Vril1 Profile]

We allready have the "Face" and a photo from ESA, showing the Hale-crater is here partly magnified and the part is color/contrast-changed, showing evidence of life: http://www.disclose.tv/members/action/v ... eEvidence/ And there´s thousands of other photos and films both from Mars and Moon showing evidence of life past or present! So we look forward to a "GREAT" "BIG" discovery!
Just hope the politicians don´t "use" the discovery for other purposes than disclosure!

[Herbert Profile]

Also I recommend the following site about Mars and its thousands anomalies:

http://www.marsanomalyresearch.com/index.htm

[Clawspiracy Profile]

I've read on a few sites that people are guessing that the discovery is 'oil'. Note that the officials say it is not 'life'. If it is oil, that means prehistoric life, right?

I wonder why they want to keep us on pins and needles. And I do mean us, as in the members of this site. Everyone else just doesn't give a shit. At least it seems this way.

[Cosmonaut Profile]

Oil from Mars, I wonder how much we'd have to pay for that?!

Is it life? Maybe Phoenix's microscopes have spotted fossils, NASA, however, was careful in its statement to state that no direct sign of life, past or present, has been found.

Perhaps the Phoenix team briefing the White House is really just a piece of grandstanding--a last-ditch attempt to squeeze money from a science-hostile administration before the expected recession/depression gets the space program killed.

Or vegetation?

Detail of photo M08-04688 taken by MOC satellite that depicts the Mars surface (6.79 m/pixel)

[Cosmonaut Profile]

Mars secret is not life. It's Perchlorate.
http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2008/au ... sults.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perchlorate

Used as an oxidizer in rocket fuel and explosives and can be found in airbags, fireworks, and Chilean fertilizers. Both potassium perchlorate (KClO4) and ammonium perchlorate (NH4ClO4) are used extensively within the pyrotechnics industry, whereas ammonium perchlorate is a component of solid rocket fuel.

Rocket fuel...

EDIT: Perchlorate is also commonly used as a chemical oxygen generator:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemical_oxygen_generator

I guess this discovery improves the possibility of colonization.

It would seem this reduces the cost of a permanent settlement significantly. I mean, your talking about cutting the cost for oxygen creation and food down to nearly nothing. after the initial set-up mission each shuttle need only bring enough oxygen and water for the trip. In fact over a few years, you could be exporting food back to earth. The cost of getting it back would be drastically reduced as well. In fact, its been shown that we could build an orbital elevator on Mars with today's technology, let alone the possibility of creating rocket fuel...

As near as I can tell it, this at least halves the initial start-up cost of a Mars colony. Not only that.. but it reduces the time before self sufficiency by a factor of at least ten.

This discovery (once fully confirmed) fully justifies immediate and extensive investment in Mars colonisation. Whoever gets there first will make themselves the richest party on both planets within 50 years.

He who controls the spice controls the universe.

[Pspono Profile]

If the announcement is oil, then the US will have to say there is a threat and have to bomb mars, as is our pattern , then have the military there to protect the interests from the martians, that do not exist, all for an announcement. Sound crazy..Bush admin at its finest.

[Truthseeker Profile]

as any one thought what the martians might say about this thieft , rember the naitive American indians , do you think they will let us steal there planet and steal its wealth just like we have done in the past i think this is a diferent ball game . they will be waiting

[Millie Profile]

what realy realy TICKS ME OFF is why the heck does the government have the right to decide what we should know and when. we pay for the damb expeditions we have the right to know what they found. you know BUSH is not going to let it out especially of its oil they found, they will want to be the owners of everything just like they do with everthing else so we will be paying for it in our taxes. i hope they sow some martian rabit hopping around instead.