Comments:NASA says Martian soil could sustain life
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so while 100 million starve and 860 live under malnourishment we spend trillions on wars and space programs.
ofcousre ther is the the qid to the poor but it is not in trilliions..it is just in millions. a few dollars a ahead. one nights dinner for two at a fancy manhattan restaurant restaurant. I sound cynical but have you ever wondered if there is so much money for so many thngs why is there still poverty?
- Maybe solving poverty through governmental means isn't the answer? Also, cool thing on the soil. Fephisto (talk) 15:17, 27 June 2008 (UTC)
- Personally I think too much money is spent on trivial carnal pleasures. More money needs to be devoted to the sciences, especially space exploration. To me, little is more amazing than the cosmos and the wonders just beyond our reach. Knowledge is awesome. --96.252.61.169 08:55, 28 June 2008 (UTC)
THERE ARE SEVERAL ERRORS IN THIS STORY. BELOW IS THE CORRECTED VERSION.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
- NASA calls end to Mars Phoenix mission
- NASA denies rumors of finding life on Mars
- NASA to extend the Phoenix probe mission by 5 weeks
- NASA says Martian soil could sustain life
- Phoenix lander confirms presence of water ice on Mars
- NASA: White substance photographed by Phoenix lander on Mars 'must have been ice'
The scientists behind the Mars Phoenix Lander project announced that the soil on Mars was more alkaline than expected and could sustain life.
Scientists at NASA or the National Aeronautics and Space Administration claimed that they were "flabbergasted" by their discovery on the possibility that life could grow on Martian soil.
Image: NASA.
"It is the type of soil you would probably have in your back yard, you know, alkaline. You might be able to grow asparagus in it really well. ... It is very exciting for us," said Sam Kounaves, the lead wet chemist at NASA.
The project did not elaborate any further if there was indeed life on Mars, down to the microbe level and instead stated that their discovery was only preliminary and more analysis will be needed.
There was still no evidence in the soil that "would preclude life," and instead of an assumption of a toxic environment, Martian soil is actually, "very friendly."
The discovery was made after the Mars Phoenix Lander scooped up Martian soil and placed it int the MECA Wet Chemistry Lab for analysis. A small lab-in-a-tea-cup that analyzes for solubles like sulfate, potassium, sodium, magnesium, etc. The lander touched down on Mars on May 25, 2008 and has been conducting several survey projects.
