The Ultimate Mars Challenge
8.30pm – 9.30pm
SBS ONE
NASA scientists believe, that far from being dead, Mars holds untold potential. Nearly half a century of Mars exploration has yielded tantalising clues that Mars may once have harboured life – and may harbour it still.
be interesting. i hope it isn’t too speculative.
So much endless waffle about life on Mars, and so little life on Mars.
> So much endless waffle about life on Mars, and so little life on Mars.
I agree. My personal opinion is that Mars has always been a dead planet and that other solar system objects, from the poles of Mercury to the moon of Pluto, have a much better chance of once having harboured life.
To take a devil’s advocate view, the solar system object with a surface (defined as the location where the density is 1000 kg/m^3) temperature most similar to that of Earth is Neptune! But really, there is no life on Neptune because its salt water ocean is too hot to support life.
Boris said:
NASA scientists believe, that far from being dead, Mars holds untold potential.
False dichotomy.
Surely it is possible for Mars to both hold untold potential and be dead.
Seems a big call to suggest that it does not and has never had any life though.
>Seems a big call to suggest that it does not and has never had any life though.
How about “little or no”. One or the other :)
Bubblecar said:
>Seems a big call to suggest that it does not and has never had any life though.How about “little or no”. One or the other :)
I think little or no life is certainly a possibility, probably the most likely possibility.
It also seems to me quite possible that there might once have been lots of life, and there still might be lots; just not near the surface.
>and there still might be lots; just not near the surface.
That would be life in Mars, not life on Mars.
I am a little outside the SBS footprint, so give me a summary
dv said:
I am a little outside the SBS footprint, so give me a summary
Documentary about the Curiosity Rover. The design and build concpets, where to land, what to look for… etc.
> The Ultimate Mars Challenge SBS ONE
Thanks Boris, it was definitely worth watching and I might have missed it if you hadn’t drawn my attention to it.
Any time you see a good science TV documentary coming up let us know. (It’s darn difficult to know how good a documentary will be in advance).
no worries Moll.
I am a little outside the SBS footprint, so give me a summary
mainly about the landing systems and testing of them. parachute problems and the limits imposed by testing on Earth. interviews with some of the engineers. best places to land. needed somewhere where water was thought to have existed. the crater was chosen because of remnant fan delta signs and exposed rock faces. was quite sensible and didn’t bang on about life. though that is the main mission objective.
http://video.pbs.org/video/2303491567/ (not available in aus but maybe ok for you)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_E1yBxtJVw (available aus)
So if they find good evidence of life on Mars, what are the implications of that?
In particular, is the transfer of life from Earth to Mars (or vice versa) on bits of impact debris still considered a reasonable possibility?
Also is the start of life on both Mars and Earth originating from some third source (either inside or outside the Solar System) a reasonable possibility?
So if they find good evidence of life on Mars, what are the implications of that?
we can change the 1 to a 2 for F,sub>l in the Drake equation. also it will show (longbow) that life can start fairly easy. but really only if it is different to life as we know it. i reckon.
In particular, is the transfer of life from Earth to Mars (or vice versa) on bits of impact debris still considered a reasonable possibility?
if the life is based on dna then i guess the probability of transfer must bne very high. most likely mars to earth as that is more gravitationally favourable.
Also is the start of life on both Mars and Earth originating from some third source (either inside or outside the Solar System) a reasonable possibility?
i’ve not been a fan of panspermia. too many factors against it imo. distances and radiation. having the velocity to exit another solar system…
So if they find good evidence of life on Mars, what are the implications of that?
we can change the 1 to a 2 for Fl in the Drake equation. also it will show (longbow) that life can start fairly easy. but really only if it is different to life as we know it. i reckon.
In particular, is the transfer of life from Earth to Mars (or vice versa) on bits of impact debris still considered a reasonable possibility?
if the life is based on dna then i guess the probability of transfer must bne very high. most likely mars to earth as that is more gravitationally favourable.
Also is the start of life on both Mars and Earth originating from some third source (either inside or outside the Solar System) a reasonable possibility?
i’ve not been a fan of panspermia. too many factors against it imo. distances and radiation. having the velocity to exit another solar system…
Boris said:
we can change the 1 to a 2 for Fl in the Drake equation. also it will show (longbow) that life can start fairly easy. but really only if it is different to life as we know it. i reckon.
Agreed, if it is life that definitely had a different origin to the life now on Earth, then I think that would be very significant. If it had (or might have had) the same origin, that would be Q (but not V) Interesting.
But I have
Boris said:
we can change the 1 to a 2 for Fl in the Drake equation. also it will show (longbow) that life can start fairly easy. but really only if it is different to life as we know it. i reckon.
Agreed, if it is life that definitely had a different origin to the life now on Earth, then I think that would be very significant. If it had (or might have had) the same origin, that would be Q (but not V) Interesting.
But I have
I didn’t press “submit” once, let alone twice!
As I was saying, I have no doubt that if evidence of life is found it will be widely treated as evidence that life is common in the Universe, even if it had (or might haave had) the same origin as life on Earth.
if it is the same as earth life then we are back to 1. it has to be different to make a difference imo.
Boris said:
if it is the same as earth life then we are back to 1. it has to be different to make a difference imo.
We are in agreeance.
the only difference will be that we’ll be more certain that given a chance life can survive space travel and in the right environment flourish.