Lander Finds Conditions For Life On Mars

Spacecraft Runs Taste Test On Soil, Finds Salty Environment Near Mars' North Pole

(AP)  The Phoenix lander's first taste test of soil near Mars' north pole reveals a briny environment similar to what can be found in backyards on Earth, scientists said Thursday.

The finding raises hope that the Martian arctic plains could have conditions favorable for primitive life. Phoenix landed a month ago to study the habitability of Mars' northern latitudes.

"There's nothing about it that would preclude life. In fact, it seems very friendly," mission scientist Samuel Kounaves of Tufts University said of the soil. "There's nothing about it that's toxic."

Phoenix so far has not detected organic carbon considered an essential building block of life. Last week, the lander found evidence of ice below the soil. Scientists generally agree that liquid water, a stable energy source and organic, or carbon-containing, compounds are required for a habitable zone.

The latest experiment was designed to test for minerals that do not have carbon in them. Earlier this week, Phoenix's 8-foot-long robotic arm delivered a pinch of dirt dug up from near the surface to its onboard lab.

Like a chemist, the spacecraft mixed the soil with water brought from Earth into a beaker the size of a teacup and stirred it. Sensors inside the beaker detect the soil's pH and probe for traces of the nutrients.

Preliminary results showed the soil had a pH between 8 and 9, researchers said. A pH less than 7 means the solution is acidic, while a pH over 7 means it is alkaline. Phoenix also detected the presence of magnesium, sodium, potassium and chloride in the mixture.

"It's very typical of the soil here on Earth minus the organics," Kounaves said during a teleconference from Tucson, Arizona.

On Earth, asparagus, green beans and turnips could be planted in such an environment and chemical-loving bacteria would thrive there, he said.

Planetary scientist David Paige of the University of California, Los Angeles, said it is too early to tell whether the minerals found in the soil could support life. Paige, who had no role in the mission, said the find was not surprising because rocks weather over time and bits of minerals mix with the soil.

"There are a lot of outstanding questions about the composition of the soil," he said.

Mission scientists said another experiment that heated the soil to high temperatures and sniffed the gas found traces of water vapor.

"This soil clearly has interacted with water in the past," said William Boynton of the University of Arizona.

The heating experiment, which was designed to look for organics, did not yield conclusive evidence of carbon. Scientists planned to study another soil sample taken from further below the surface.

[demwatcher]

"I wonder if the Martians would like a couple of "experienced" earth leaders..I know of a couple that are gonna be out of a job by Novemember. I''''m sure we can find a couple of old space suits lying around that might fit the "The Decider, The Puppeteer, and Bush''''s Brain"....(note to self...don''''t forget Condi...must repopulate the Republican party.....heh, heh, heh,

Posted by CitizenUSA at 03:01 PM : Jun 27, 2008"

It is really a shame how your hate and ignorance pervades every aspect of your waking life. If you call that a life.

[rf35]

bdrlnt4rl,
Roger that. The so-called "reality TV," which is anything but, doesn''t help. I prefer the Discovery and History channels myself.

[citizenusa-2009]

I wonder if the Martians would like a couple of "experienced" earth leaders..I know of a couple that are gonna be out of a job by Novemember. I''m sure we can find a couple of old space suits lying around that might fit the "The Decider, The Puppeteer, and Bush''s Brain"....(note to self...don''t forget Condi...must repopulate the Republican party.....heh, heh, heh,

[bdrlnt4rl]

rf35

i will say it a little different. people are too hollywood educated, meaning the watch too many movies and get their education from watching imagination. fiction, people are disillusioned by too much hollywood imagination.

and yes, that is the point, imagination. but too many people take as reality. and yes, i would rather watch documentaries only because i get bored sitting thru movies. ''add'', ya know

[rf35]

Nothing new, Marvin has lived there for years.
Maybe we should ask him to help with the crisis on earth.

Posted by fstop100 at 12:02 PM : Jun 27, 2008

He would just take out Earth with his Illudium Q-36 Explosive Space Modulator.

bdrlnt4rl, *** is an "imagination movie?" Isn''t that the point? Or do you only watch documentaries?

[bdrlnt4rl]

anappleadae

sounds like silly sarcasm to me. not paranoid comments, maybe on some, but think about it, people are very hollywood educated. to much imagination movies are being watched. hollywood is the terrorist of the people

[anappleadae]

Pessimism is endemic here. One might get the feeling most of you thrive on the negative. You must be a bunch of carb devouring couch posting paranoids.

[fstop100]

Nothing new, Marvin has lived there for years.
Maybe we should ask him to help with the crisis on earth.

[bdrlnt4rl]

enlightenu

its a terrible cycle. the people on mars did the same thing to earth, now, we are back on mars, doing to same thing on mars, next, we will be back on earth doing the same thing on mars, then we will be back doing the same thing on earth.........

[enlightenu]

We may have just introduced life to Mars. Presumably, some spores in and on the probe survived the radiation of space, and will fall off and plant themselves at this site on Mars. We may go back in a decade and find mold and mildew spreading for a mile in every direction from the landing site.

Posted by downtowner97 at 12:47 AM : Jun 27, 2008

And then a billion years from now that life will evolve into intelligent beings who will argue over where they came from. The debate will cause a split between the Phoenixians and the Nasamites and they will kill eachother over it and lay waste to the planet.

[rf35]

Terraforming Mars will not work any better than it did on LV427.

Posted by SistaTee at 11:13 AM : Jun 27, 2008

ROFLMAO!

[sistatee-2009]

Terraforming Mars will not work any better than it did on LV427.

[rf35]

The new colonies may prosper and the old ones decline, but do not look for population relief by sending the surplus population to Mars.

Posted by Prelgovisk at 10:38 AM : Jun 27, 2008

Agreed, but with a colony or two on Mars, the human race will at least survive. The human population will eventually reach a point where we will cause our own extinction (on Earth).

[extremophil]

You guys are SO right about the waste of money. I mean, just think if Columbus'' 1492 voyage had been cancelled and the money put to better use back at home.....like feeding the poor and buying more leeches for health care.

[prelgovisk]

Terraforming Mars and using it as a plan to ease overpopulation of the earth will not work. England felt it was over populated, but the opening up of America and Australia did nothing to relieve what Scrooge called, "The surplus population." Historically, new worlds have done nothing to ease the overpopulation of the old.

The new colonies may prosper and the old ones decline, but do not look for population relief by sending the surplus population to Mars.

[rf35]

If no organics are found, it would seem to indicate that Mars is and was lifeless. In that case, it would be worth our while to begin seeding the planet with algae, various microbes, and appropriate plants. To get the whole thing going would require finding, melting, or sending liquid water, but hopefully the signs of liquid water in the not-so-distant past indicates that this would not be too difficult. Considering the technology likely to be developed in the next 50 years or so, it would then be feasible to start sending manned missions to further get the terraforming under way. By the time we could reasonably expect to send the first colonists, Earth%u2019s population will be pushing us to the verge of extinction due to complete consumption of available resources and lack of sufficient food/drinkable water. Unless some mass catastrophe causes the die-off of about 5 billion people in the near future. That would buy us centuries before returning to the present state.

[bluestardad]

WHAT A WASTE OF PRIORITIES!

[acolton1]

Great now what can Mars do for Earth to lower Gas prices.

[barbaraf4]

"Just to name a few...." Posted by gentryfunk
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Just think how much more we could have accomplished if we had spent those research dollars here at home instead of spending money to get to outer space.

[gentryfunk-2009]

For those claiming that the trip to Mars is a money-wasting trip....previous space exploration has produced the following benefits to human society directly impacting YOUR life:

Pacemakers
Velcro
metal alloy used for braces (Nitinol)
scratch resistant lenses for glasses
implantable insulin pump
water purification systems in most cities
rubber compound used in tennis and running shoes
golf ball aerodynamics
digital imaging (CCDs in Digital Cameras)

Just to name a few....