![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
hwrnmnbsolRecent high-resolution photography has returned breathtaking new images from the surface of Mars. The level of detail available to areologists has allowed new analysis – analysis that hints promisingly at the presence of liquid water on the surface of the planet. Although optimistic, scientists must show caution when discussing such exciting results; those who have been too quick to leap to dramatic conclusions have all too frequently been required to make embarrassing retractions later. But the stakes are high – if liquid water is indeed present on or near the top layer of Martian soil, this would be the most promising evidence yet that Earth-like microbial life could exist on other planets.
We will therefore take a closer look at these images and the analysis that has been performed upon them. The readers are invited to view these photographs with the eyes of planetary scientists, and to use their own intuition whether the presence of liquid water is indicated.
Consider, for example, this first image, which shows an object protruding from the Martian soil. Shadow analysis reveals it is approximately one meter tall, and mass spectrometry shows it to be largely iron in composition. What this artifact contains is not known, but one thing is certain: this object, jutting from the ground of our dusty next-door neighbor, is a fire hydrant.
Cautious areologists are quick to remind us that, however compelling the presence of a fire hydrant may seem, we have absolutely no evidence to suggest that it is used to control the flow of liquid water. This fireplug may be used to contain a gaseous agent, for instance. It may also not be connected to any sort of piping system at all, or it could be a relic from an age when water was more plentiful, although such water may have dried up millions of years ago. Finally, it is interesting to note that the low oxygen content of Mars' atmosphere is incapable of supporting open surface combustion, making the presence of a piece of fire-fighting equipment all the more puzzling.
This next image intensifies the mystery and controversy surrounding the search for water on Mars. Yes, this rectangular depression certainly appears regular in shape, and formations that resemble ladders, slide and diving boards are definitely suggestive of the presence of water. The reader is directed to note the two objects in the center of the photograph, and these do appear to be inflatable horsies scudding along the surface of an unseen interface. However, one must consider: what if this 'pool', as some researchers are quick to label it, is actually filled with a clear gelatin? Is it not possible that the orange-spotted horsies are, in fact, suspended on a taut translucent membrane?
The wise reader will be reminded of the example of Percival Lowell. The legacy of this celebrated astronomer and founder of the Lowell Observatory is somewhat tarnished by his early theorizing that blurry lines seen on the surface of Mars, using the primitive telescopes of the day, were actually canals. Improvements in optics soon discredited the model of canals on Mars, to Lowell's great chagrin. The moral of this story is, good scientists draw conclusions based only on the evidence firmly at hand, avoiding speculation and fantasy wherever possible. This lesson should in no way be undermined by the fact that the new photographs do, in fact, show a network of large lined conduits complete with surface gratings, weirs, and what appear to be pumping stations. The important thing is, no water is seen, and nobody wants to look bad.
Consider this next image. Could these undulations be waves? And are these gaily painted sails and imposing pylons an image of the running of a regatta? Very possibly, yes – but consider, could these actually be sand ships running a sand race? It would be attractive to assume that the medium in use is water, possibly of the briny, high-salinity variety, but there is no way of knowing whether the graceful outlines of the racing craft do not conceal wheels or runners below them.
We conclude with a final and highly controversial image. Spelled out in colorful stones upon a field five hundred meters on a side are words written in English: THIS LAKE IS FULL OF WATER. And, indeed, there is an unusual patch of darker ground adjacent to this alleged message, and some interpretations have it that it is, in fact, a lake. Diligent scientists must ask themselves a great many questions before their curiosity is satisfied. Is this a message created by beings that actually know what water is, for instance, or know it to be the same thing that we do? If the answer is yes, what if they are liars? Might areologists be taken in by some sort of interplanetary hoax? There is insufficient evidence to definitively say for sure.
The search for surface water on Mars has puzzled terrestrial scientists for generations. It is a question of general interest related to many questions of planetary structure and development, but it is a topic of special concern to those interested in looking for life on other planets. If you, the reader, judge that these photos reveal the strong likelihood of the presence of water, then you may feel free to further consider whether we may ever find evidence of life on Mars. It is unlikely that we will be able to definitively answer this and other questions until a manned expedition to the Fourth Planet is staged, but in the meantime, the curious and observant must continue to carefully watch and consider the limited evidence available to us.
CNN READER FEEDBACK POLL – Tell us what you think!
Water on Mars is:
• Likely!
• Not likely.
• Awesome!
• What?
We will therefore take a closer look at these images and the analysis that has been performed upon them. The readers are invited to view these photographs with the eyes of planetary scientists, and to use their own intuition whether the presence of liquid water is indicated.
Consider, for example, this first image, which shows an object protruding from the Martian soil. Shadow analysis reveals it is approximately one meter tall, and mass spectrometry shows it to be largely iron in composition. What this artifact contains is not known, but one thing is certain: this object, jutting from the ground of our dusty next-door neighbor, is a fire hydrant.
Cautious areologists are quick to remind us that, however compelling the presence of a fire hydrant may seem, we have absolutely no evidence to suggest that it is used to control the flow of liquid water. This fireplug may be used to contain a gaseous agent, for instance. It may also not be connected to any sort of piping system at all, or it could be a relic from an age when water was more plentiful, although such water may have dried up millions of years ago. Finally, it is interesting to note that the low oxygen content of Mars' atmosphere is incapable of supporting open surface combustion, making the presence of a piece of fire-fighting equipment all the more puzzling.
This next image intensifies the mystery and controversy surrounding the search for water on Mars. Yes, this rectangular depression certainly appears regular in shape, and formations that resemble ladders, slide and diving boards are definitely suggestive of the presence of water. The reader is directed to note the two objects in the center of the photograph, and these do appear to be inflatable horsies scudding along the surface of an unseen interface. However, one must consider: what if this 'pool', as some researchers are quick to label it, is actually filled with a clear gelatin? Is it not possible that the orange-spotted horsies are, in fact, suspended on a taut translucent membrane?
The wise reader will be reminded of the example of Percival Lowell. The legacy of this celebrated astronomer and founder of the Lowell Observatory is somewhat tarnished by his early theorizing that blurry lines seen on the surface of Mars, using the primitive telescopes of the day, were actually canals. Improvements in optics soon discredited the model of canals on Mars, to Lowell's great chagrin. The moral of this story is, good scientists draw conclusions based only on the evidence firmly at hand, avoiding speculation and fantasy wherever possible. This lesson should in no way be undermined by the fact that the new photographs do, in fact, show a network of large lined conduits complete with surface gratings, weirs, and what appear to be pumping stations. The important thing is, no water is seen, and nobody wants to look bad.
Consider this next image. Could these undulations be waves? And are these gaily painted sails and imposing pylons an image of the running of a regatta? Very possibly, yes – but consider, could these actually be sand ships running a sand race? It would be attractive to assume that the medium in use is water, possibly of the briny, high-salinity variety, but there is no way of knowing whether the graceful outlines of the racing craft do not conceal wheels or runners below them.
We conclude with a final and highly controversial image. Spelled out in colorful stones upon a field five hundred meters on a side are words written in English: THIS LAKE IS FULL OF WATER. And, indeed, there is an unusual patch of darker ground adjacent to this alleged message, and some interpretations have it that it is, in fact, a lake. Diligent scientists must ask themselves a great many questions before their curiosity is satisfied. Is this a message created by beings that actually know what water is, for instance, or know it to be the same thing that we do? If the answer is yes, what if they are liars? Might areologists be taken in by some sort of interplanetary hoax? There is insufficient evidence to definitively say for sure.
The search for surface water on Mars has puzzled terrestrial scientists for generations. It is a question of general interest related to many questions of planetary structure and development, but it is a topic of special concern to those interested in looking for life on other planets. If you, the reader, judge that these photos reveal the strong likelihood of the presence of water, then you may feel free to further consider whether we may ever find evidence of life on Mars. It is unlikely that we will be able to definitively answer this and other questions until a manned expedition to the Fourth Planet is staged, but in the meantime, the curious and observant must continue to carefully watch and consider the limited evidence available to us.
CNN READER FEEDBACK POLL – Tell us what you think!
Water on Mars is:
• Likely!
• Not likely.
• Awesome!
• What?
