Curiosity discovery 'one for the history books'

The Curiosity Rover supposedly found something big on Mars recently, according to NPR and various other news outlets. Called 'one for the history books' by Dr. Grotzinger of Caltech, they're going to announce, whatever the hell it is on December 3 when they have a conference, so stay tuned.

http://www.npr.org/2012/11/20/165513016/big-news-from-mars-rover-scientists-mum-for-now
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/49904984/ns/technology_and_science-space/t/curiositys-mars-discovery-called-one-history-books/#.ULbhYIc0WSo

I thought it was just hype at first, but SciShow addressed it today, so I assume it's legit.

SciShow vid:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1aggLqdbd0&feature=g-u

Whatever it is, my proposal is to nuke it from orbit.

It's the only way to be sure...

Is that any guarantee against microbes which probably have some natural resistance radiation?

That might just, blast them into orbit, and to Earth.

Im gonna guess its ice. Or some kind of weird space plant.

Ringleader wrote:Is that any guarantee against microbes which probably have some natural resistance radiation?

That might just, blast them into orbit, and to Earth.

I'm using "nuke" as a general destructive term.

They could also drag the entire planet into Jupiter and I would be satisfied.

Probably something that says their MIGHT have BEEN or could BE life on Mars that a normal person would say "oh well, who cares then?"


If they found a plant or some kind of alien life they'd have announced that shit in a hurry.

Whatever it is, it's indicative. Not proof.

Resistance to the radiation in question does not imply survival of a nuclear weapon.

Exactly. In any case, we could launch neutron bombs instead of regular nukes. See if the radiation kills them with less of a chance of blasting them free of Mars's gravity well.

Or just all the nukes and bombs and shit.

Lord Pheonix wrote:Probably something that says their MIGHT have BEEN or could BE life on Mars that a normal person would say "oh well, who cares then?"


If they found a plant or some kind of alien life they'd have announced that shit in a hurry.

Whatever it is, it's indicative. Not proof.

not nessicarily, nasa actually cares if the things they claim are true or not, they would check it for weeks.


i'm guessing microbes/ extremeophiles, plants are WAY more advanced. maybe it is proto-life like a virus... they already found water and that wasn't treated as that huge a deal.

Yeah, I figure the reason they're taking so long to confirm it is they want to make EXTRA sure they've got it right before making the announcement, so the longer the wait, the bigger the discovery, and the greater the chance of having found traces of life.

I'm willing to go as far as methane producing extremophiles, I don't think they can even detect the presence of viruses, which need other organisms to reproduce anyway. Hell, there might even be liquid water aquifers underground similar to Earth, which could support more complex forms of life.

They made the discovery using the SAM instrument, which can detect the presence of organic compounds, and distinguish between biological and nonbiological sources, so they can only detect the signatures of life.

and, of course, promethean technology right?

I can't wait for mainstream media to take the announcement and repeat it as if it means something other than what it means!

Arsenic based lifeforms?

In all honesty it could be anything.

My money is on microorganism or Prothian technology.

they found a stargate!

Mass Relay device.

Arnold Schwarzenegger's ass?

A gate to hell

Jimmy Hoffa?

Space Gold?

Sasquatch?

"Its also rumoured that the most powerful of the C'tan, the Void Dragon, sleeps somewhere beneath the surface of Mars, in the Noctis Labyrinthus, and its presence may be the reason why Necron starships briefly landed on the Red Planet in 997.M41. Should the Void Dragon awake, the very heart of the Imperium will tremble." (excerpt from http://warhammer40k.wikia.com/wiki/Mars)

Lord Pheonix help us all.

maybe they found out the face on mars also has a butt?

Well, shit: http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl/news/whatsnew/index.cfm?FuseAction=ShowNews&NewsID=1398

Rumors and speculation that there are major new findings from the mission at this early stage are incorrect. The news conference will be an update about first use of the rover's full array of analytical instruments to investigate a drift of sandy soil. One class of substances Curiosity is checking for is organic compounds -- carbon-containing chemicals that can be ingredients for life. At this point in the mission, the instruments on the rover have not detected any definitive evidence of Martian organics.