Life on Mars

Started by Desdemone, February 27, 2005, 01:49:10 AM

Previous topic - Next topic
Print
Go Down Pages1
User actions
February 27, 2005, 01:49:10 AM
European scientists believe in life on Mars
European Space Agency scientists think that there was and could even still be life on Mars and want a new European mission to the red planet to take samples, a conference has heard.

"Mars is the most Earth-like planet in our solar system," said Agustin Chicarro, ESA Mars Express Project Scientist at the end of a one-week conference during which scientists from around the world discussed ESA's Mars mission findings so far.

They found a large ice sea near Mars' equator that was formed less than 5 million years ago and believe volcanic activity is still continuing on the North Pole.

The findings on Mars, one year after a European launch started an orbit around the planet, also serve as a stark warning to earthlings - Mars has no protective ozone layer and the surface is blasted by solar storms and ultraviolet light.

Water vapour destroyed ozone on Mars and a recent increase of water vapour in Earth's stratosphere could be a potential threat to this planet's protective ozone layer that is probably linked to global warming, said scientist Jean-Loup Bertaux.

"Hints of life on Mars are getting stronger," said Vittorio Formisano whose team found methane and formaldehyde on Mars.

He said there was so much methane produced on Mars that there was reason to believe this had an organic origin.

"Life is probably the only source that can produce so much methane."

Everett Gibson, from NASA's Johnson Space Centre, said he had held a poll among the 250 scientists at the conference.

On the question whether they thought there had been life on Mars, 75 percent replied in the affirmative. Asked whether they believed there to be life now, 25 per cent said "yes".

Asked what kind of life, Gibson said "bacterial".

Ice water

Jean-Pierre Bibring led a team looking for traces of water. "We found water, but not in the form we envisioned."

There is no evidence of permanent oceans or lakes during the past three billion years and no extended areas with carbonates, and water on Mars today is present as ice.

Gerhard Neukum, of the High Resolution Stereo Camera team, showed several pictures of the "Frozen Sea" near the equator. The area is some 800 by 900 kilometres and the original depth was some 50 metres with ice rafts of up to 30 kilometres in size.

Mars remains a very hostile environment - a fierce solar wind is blowing away planetary materials and penetrates deep down the dayside atmosphere while during polar night, the atmosphere is minus 130 to minus 143 degrees Celsius.

But David Southwood, ESA Director of Science, said Europe should return to Mars and needs to find money for a second mission to probe deeper into its mysteries.
October 01, 2005, 06:31:12 AM #1
one thing surprises me is that when people think of different life they think that life should be related to the life we live on earth and follow the same laws of physcis, chemistry, and biology. has anyone thought that other form of lifes do not need oxygen to breath or they are not visible in the same visual spectrum we see each other and things around us. maybe, they live in different dimension so we are not able to see them with our physical knowledge because it is not applicable to them, since we percieve everything in 3-d they could percieve everything in 2-d or 7-d and so on. there is so little we know about existance outside our planet, at this point, but i do believe we are not alone in this part of universe. i think, there is life on each planet and even in space but we can not find it because we apply those rules to identify life which we would apply here on earth. i think, people should stop thinking in earthly way once they are outside of earth!!!!
October 01, 2005, 06:34:10 AM #2
alca-traz you know alot what type of monstrous being are you?im a dragon...
October 01, 2005, 06:46:38 AM #3
i am cosmic killer whale
October 01, 2005, 06:47:46 AM #4
Quote from: El godzillaalca-traz you know alot what type of monstrous being are you?im a dragon...

frankly, it is not related to a topic.
would you like to share something about life outside of earth??
thanks
October 08, 2024, 01:42:41 PM #5
Print
Go Up Pages1
User actions