Comments on: Mars Is REALLY Cold

By: Marsbug

Marsbug — Mon, 19 May 2008 12:58:05 +0000

Neoguru: You are correct, but only for pure water, there are a large number of things which when dissolved in water lower its freezing point. For example a concentratic sulphuric acid solution will stay liquid down to 180 kelvin, some salts will keep water liquid down to 230 kelvin.

By: Kevin M.

Kevin M. — Sat, 17 May 2008 03:48:46 +0000

I'm sure we could find some microbes on Mars, but I've always doubted that landers with drills only a few inches long were at all adequate. We might need a serious industrial drill rig setup to make the search, and the money, worthwhile. We might need to send Bruce Willis up there with a suicide team.

By: Rosa W.

Rosa W. — Fri, 16 May 2008 20:42:27 +0000

Neoguru: Greenhouse effect! No, seriously. When Mars was younger and more volcanically active, it would have spewed out more carbon dioxide from aforementioned volcanoes. The thicker carbon dioxide atmosphere would have let sunlight through to warm the surface, then prevented infrared radiation from the warm surface from escaping away into space, thus keeping the surface warmer. – Now, how the new estimates of current temperature will affect the estimates of how much the greenhouse effect could have warmed the Martian surface in the distant past… that I couldn't say.

By: neoguru

neoguru — Fri, 16 May 2008 15:17:24 +0000

So how can liquid water ever have existed on Mars? It's friggin' COLD! Waaay below the freezing point of water and far too cold for it to exist as a liquid on Mars' surface. There's no evidence that the Sun was ever hotter, so what gives?? I've never heard a satisfactory explanation how liquid water could ever exist on Mars.

By: Adam

Adam — Fri, 16 May 2008 10:46:45 +0000

man i know its easy to get to mars, but would really like to see some landers on some other planets, maybe some moons.. *nudge nudge* mars hath depressed me to much

By: Greg

Greg — Fri, 16 May 2008 05:50:46 +0000

This will make it harder to find life as liquid water would have fewer opportunities to break the surface from below where we would be most likely to find a constant resivoir of life. Life on the surface would be much more spotty due to the scarcity and impermanence of liquid water there.

By: David

David — Fri, 16 May 2008 00:12:24 +0000

SInce we figured out that Mars is really cold, we can now abort the Phoenix mission.