Earthlike Mars? |
Earthlike Mars? |
Sep 17 2009, 01:03 AM
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#76
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 3419 Joined: 9-February 04 From: Minneapolis, MN, USA Member No.: 15 |
I would say that ground cracks that aren't filled up with dust occur because the process of dust deposition v. deflation has achieved a dynamic stability on Mars. The winds giveth, the winds taketh away...
-the other Doug -------------------- “The trouble ain't that there is too many fools, but that the lightning ain't distributed right.” -Mark Twain
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Sep 22 2009, 12:57 AM
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#77
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Member Group: Members Posts: 233 Joined: 21-April 05 Member No.: 328 |
There's a new report out that results from the Indian lunar mapper (announcement coming up) indicate that there's "lots" of water on the Moon
If that's the case, then there's "lots^^2" water on Mars. I believe, in fact, that we are establishing a new paradigm -- just as we are now learning that planets are plentiful in the universe, so we are also learning that the rocky bodies among them are loaded with water -- Mars, the apparent desert planet, included. I know this is the kind of wild statement that cautious thinkers abhor, but I can't help it -- it's in my genes. BTW, I think Fran asked a good question about the desiccation cracks and the other Doug had an equally good answer. |
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Sep 25 2009, 12:23 AM
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#78
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Member Group: Members Posts: 233 Joined: 21-April 05 Member No.: 328 |
Two back-to-back articles on the JPL web site about water on the moon and Mars, respectively -- in the unlikely event that there's a UMSFer somewhere who has not yet seen them:
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2009-147 http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/news.cfm?release=2009-148 Sept 24, 2009 -- a big day for space junkies indeed. |
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Sep 25 2009, 12:53 AM
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#79
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Member Group: Members Posts: 258 Joined: 22-December 06 Member No.: 1503 |
hhmmm! So water ice and sublimation is a much more significant process on Mars than previously thought...not a big surprise to me personally. The big surprise is the Moon. But if comets brought water to Earth, then it makes sense that they would bring it to the Moon too.
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Sep 25 2009, 01:49 AM
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#80
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 1018 Joined: 29-November 05 From: Seattle, WA, USA Member No.: 590 |
But if comets brought water to Earth, then it makes sense that they would bring it to the Moon too. It wouldn't have stayed on the moon very long, though, if it came from comets. Current thinking seems to be that the lunar water is produced by the solar wind. I'd doubt if very much (if any) Martian water arrived that way. --Greg |
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Sep 25 2009, 05:45 AM
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#81
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2922 Joined: 14-February 06 From: Very close to the Pyrénées Mountains (France) Member No.: 682 |
"Water" on Mars guys! Ice visible at mid latitudes from HiRise: http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=29232
BTW, Astro, where is the new emoticon you shown us recently? -------------------- |
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Sep 25 2009, 08:58 AM
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#82
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 1045 Joined: 17-February 09 Member No.: 4605 |
"Water" on Mars guys! Ice visible at mid latitudes from HiRise..... The identification of ice in a new crater is a good find. But I feel that Shane Byrne is a bit quick off the mark to claim cause and effect and state that "This ice is a relic of a more humid climate from perhaps just several thousand years ago." Ice underlying the regolith within centimeters of the surface as a recent deposit - perhaps. A relic of an older warmer wetter past - perhaps. Or the residue from ice meteorites that left icy residue that gradually sublimated. The latter would seem more in keeping with the observation that the ice was a thin layer overlying darker material. |
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Sep 25 2009, 05:21 PM
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#83
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Member Group: Members Posts: 362 Joined: 13-April 06 From: Malta Member No.: 741 |
i think we should perhaps revisit Viking 2 science results...any news from the radar team as to th thickness of water ice in mid latitudes of Mars??
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Sep 26 2009, 01:55 PM
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#84
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Member Group: Members Posts: 293 Joined: 22-September 08 From: Spain Member No.: 4350 |
Well, at the scalloped terrain of Utopia Planitia (46º) the sublimation pits are quite deep:
http://www.unmannedspaceflight.com/index.p...mp;#entry127173 |
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Sep 26 2009, 06:54 PM
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#85
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Member Group: Members Posts: 362 Joined: 13-April 06 From: Malta Member No.: 741 |
Are we sure those craters spotted recently are impact craters or explosive??water ice sublimating ?similar to the spider structures seen at the poles except that the mechanism for the latter seems to be C02!
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Sep 26 2009, 10:14 PM
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#86
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Founder Group: Chairman Posts: 14433 Joined: 8-February 04 Member No.: 1 |
If you can suggest a method by which they can suddenly appear, in a cluster, with ejecta and occasional airburst patterns....go for it.
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Sep 30 2009, 03:03 AM
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#87
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Member Group: Members Posts: 233 Joined: 21-April 05 Member No.: 328 |
Does anyone have a sense of the distribution of these ice paved craters relative to the presumed outline of Oceanus Borealis? And a related question: do these craters all fall within basins or low lying regions, or regions which were at one time low lying?
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Oct 28 2009, 04:58 AM
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#88
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Member Group: Members Posts: 233 Joined: 21-April 05 Member No.: 328 |
In an earlier post in this thread, I made the not-original observation that the many pairs of trained amateur eyes of UMSF members could play an important role in interpreting the visual evidence for an Oceanus Borealis.
That concept has now been endorsed in a big way on APOD, but in reference to galaxy structure. It's pretty darned interesting: http://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/apod/ap091026.html |
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Oct 29 2009, 03:06 AM
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#89
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Member Group: Members Posts: 890 Joined: 18-November 08 Member No.: 4489 |
QUOTE In an earlier post in this thread, I made the not-original observation that the many pairs of trained amateur eyes of UMSF members could play an important role in interpreting the visual evidence for an Oceanus Borealis. and to think i made this image 6 years ago ( 100% fictous ) based ONLY on an average mola height 1024x512 [attachment=19418:1kBlueMars.jpg] too much ice ,no weathering , ... it dose need to be remade |
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Oct 30 2009, 04:26 AM
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#90
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Member Group: Members Posts: 233 Joined: 21-April 05 Member No.: 328 |
JohnVV -- way cool! My effort understandably did not pass Phil's muster, but perhaps yours will!
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