Phoenix has Found Something More Compelling than Water......

[n2doc]

Phoenix has Found Something More Compelling than Water: President Bush Informed
by Ian O'Neill (August 2, 2008)

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 details 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.

link:

http://www.astroengine.com/?p=596

[HeresyLives]

1. This should be interesting.

We know they've discovered water, so that's not it.

We know they haven't discovered Life, so that's not it.

So unless they accidently photographed a monkey wrench or something, I can't imagine what it would be that requires notifying the WH, and causing all this commotion.

[Chulanowa]

3. They found Jimmy Hoffa

n/t

[tridim]

6. Bummm... Bummmm... Bummmmmmmm...

Buh Bummmmmmmm!



So it's not life, but it's too scary to tell the public about? Anything that could arrive on a comet or asteroid wouldn't be much of a surprise.

It has to be something Mars produced, but not life. :crazy:

[Phred42]

9. They found the WMD - Saddam must have stached them there

[azul]

21. They found prions.

You know, the crystalline-like protein structures that cause the brains of animals to turn into sponges somehow. Some bio-molecule that defies destruction, and is toxic to brainy life.

Time to read The Martian Chronicles ghost story again.

[Sequoia]

30. I read that book again a year or so again.

and the chapter about the black folks was missing. Plus the years of the time this was happening was advanced from the original book.

[WhiteTara]

23. oil

that's all the monkey cares about

[eleny]

2. K&R and anticipating loose lips!

[AdHocSolver]

4. They have discovered oil on mars and want congressional approval to invade. n/t

[HeresyLives]

5. Now THAT'S a possibility!

:rofl:

[Phred42]

7. WHY the HELL 'Take it to the White House"?

WE paid for it - Tell us.

Bush will just use what ever this is for politics or worse.

[burythehatchet]

19. Honestly. One of the potentially greatest scientific discoveries ever, so lets tell an idiot

who thinks the jury is still out on evolution. :crazy:

[Phred42]

22. lol

[roguevalley]

24. they found where all the socks go that you can't find in the dryer

[givemebackmycountry]

8. I know what they found! I know what they found!

They found...

OIL

Lot's and lot's and lot's of freaking

OIL

The whole planet is full of it.
I'm talking the planet has 900 trillion times more

OIL

than the middle east.
Exxon/Mobile launches a manned rocket and it lands on Mars.
An Exxon/Mobile employee jumps onto the surface of the planet, and his eyes pop out like Arnold's in "Total Recall".
Exxon/Mobile claims exclusive rights to the planet.
Years later, they make 11 billion dollars a second, and they now own Earth and everything on it.

They found

OIL

on Mars!

(I'm stupid, I know... but in this bat-shit crazy world. if it was on CNN 45 minutes from now, it would not surprise me a bit)

[Phred42]

10. that might make sense - but I hope not

Even if they could bring it back here some how We need to get off of oil ASAP.

[Peace Patriot]

13. No, that was Titan--just a few days ago. Oil all over the place.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gB5eQTKqw1yN3wst1UAEVPvzj1JwD928LMDO0

Liquid ethane (a component of crude). A bit far away, though.

----

NASA says liquid confirmed on Saturn's moon Titan

2 days ago

PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — At least one of many large, lake-like features on Saturn's moon Titan studied by the international Cassini spacecraft contains liquid hydrocarbons, making it the only body in the solar system besides Earth known to have liquid on its surface, NASA said Wednesday.

Scientists positively identified the presence of ethane, according to a statement from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, which manages the Cassini mission exploring Saturn, its rings and moons.

Liquid ethane is a component of crude oil.

Cassini has made more than 40 close flybys of Titan, a giant planet-sized satellite of the ringed world.

Scientists had theorized that Titan might have oceans of methane, ethane and other hydrocarbons, but Cassini found hundreds of dark, lake-like features instead, and it wasn't known at first whether they were liquid or dark, solid material, JPL's statement said.

"This is the first observation that really pins down that Titan has a surface lake filled with liquid," Bob Brown, team leader of Cassini's visual and mapping instrument, said in the statement.]/i]

(MORE)

[Sequoia]

29. You might be right yet. Just not found at this time.

[Phred42]

11. No article at that link - just comments aobtu the article

Was that an article there ? or just the headline?

If there was an article it appears that it's been pulled



Here's something more: http://www.universetoday.com/2008/08/02/the-white-house-is-briefed-phoenix-about-to-announce-potential-for-life-on-mars/

[cloudbase]

12. It's life, Jim,

but not as we know it.

[Peace Patriot]

14. The announcement is apparently about habitability...

http://www.marstoday.com/news/viewnews.html?id=1297

White House Briefed On Potential For Mars Life

Craig Covault
Friday, August 1, 2008

image

Copyright 2008 Aviation Week & Space Technology

The White House has been alerted by NASA about plans to make an announcement soon on major new Phoenix lander discoveries concerning the "potential for life" on Mars, scientists tell Aviation Week & Space Technology.

Sources say the new data do not indicate the discovery of existing or past life on Mars. Rather the data relate to habitability--the "potential" for Mars to support life--at the Phoenix arctic landing site, sources say.

(MORE)

-------


Do read on, though. They expected water. They expected chem reactions positive for potential life. What have they found NOW that has merited a briefing of the White House, and a pending announcement? It is something more than this, apparently.

Exciting times.

[BadgerKid]

15. I was thinking amino acids

From the source you cite:

"It has yet to find organics, but still has several sample ovens available to make such a discovery. An electrical short that earlier threatened TEGA operations has resolved itself, Boynton says."

Amino acids have been found in meteorites landing on Earth. I don't see why that wouldn't happen on Mars.

[semillama]

28. Amino Acids???

http://detroit.metromix.com/content_image/thumbnail/3x4/180/511164

"It’s slightly disconcerting to know that there are aliens living amongst us in human form, although the nerves are calmed by the knowledge that, rather than attempting to take over or destroy us, they’ve settled in Detroit and are playing surf-rock music."

http://detroit.metromix.com/music/article/the-amino-acids/511164/content

[DCKit]

18. Yay!! The new Republicon homeworld!!! n/t

[valerief]

16. They found the Holy Grail? The Virgin Mary's face in the sand? Crop circles? nt

[formercia]

17. First road-kill on Mars.

The Martian envoy sent to greet the Earthling ship was crushed beneath the lander when he tried to wave it off to a better landing site, closer to the headquarters of the Martian CIA.

[thecrow]

20. Oil?

[Sancho]

25. dilithium crystals? anthrax? evidence of global warming? oil? I can't wait...

but if the White House is involved, we may never know the truth.

[tinrobot]

26. Organics, strong suspicion of life, but no direct confirmation.

My guess, at least.

[Orsino]

27. Agreed.

NASA doesn't really have a life detector, but complex organic chemicals could be strong evidence for past life.

Unless a face-hugger has grabbed Phoenix' camera, and is trying to lay eggs in it.

Or perhaps Martian microbes are spelling out "Obama '08" in acetylcholine crystals.

[Pierre.Suave]

31. I read yesterday that

during an examination of the soil they had found perchlorate

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

They were expecting to see the soil was similar to earth soil, but were surprised to see the perchlorate.