NASA Mars Lander Sees Falling Snow, Soil Data Suggest Liquid Past

[Ichingcarpenter]

Source: NASA

PASADENA, Calif. -- NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander has detected snow falling from Martian clouds. Spacecraft soil experiments also have provided evidence of past interaction between minerals and liquid water, processes that occur on Earth.

A laser instrument designed to gather knowledge of how the atmosphere and surface interact on Mars has detected snow from clouds about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) above the spacecraft's landing site. Data show the snow vaporizing before reaching the ground.

"Nothing like this view has ever been seen on Mars," said Jim Whiteway, of York University, Toronto, lead scientist for the Canadian-supplied Meteorological Station on Phoenix. "We'll be looking for signs that the snow may even reach the ground."

Phoenix experiments also yielded clues pointing to calcium carbonate, the main composition of chalk, and particles that could be clay. Most carbonates and clays on Earth form only in the presence of liquid water.

Read more: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/phoenix/news/phoenix-20080929.html

[shadowknows69]

1. Amazing news

[Jack from Charlotte]

25. Ski Mars (nfm)

*

[Ilsa]

2. Awesome. Too bad we can't create an atmosphere there that will

remain on the planet. At least, that's how I understand it.

[burrowowl]

3. WOW!

Expanding knowledge not war and greed should be the hallmark of homo sapiens sapiens!

[TankLV]

4. It's CO2 - carbon dioxide "snow" not "water" or H20

All the "snow" in the polar region is carbon dioxide - what little atmosphere there is is almost 100% carbon dioxide...

[Ichingcarpenter]

5. You should work for NASA and do their headlines

or read the rest of the article where it says that.

[struggle4progress]

7. NASA apparently has determined this is the familiar old H2snOw

[aquart]

11. So there's an atmosphere, just not one we can breathe?

And CO2 precipitates as snowflakes like H2O? Are they pretty with unique shapes?

[lynnertic]

16. Citation please! OP's article doesn't mention composition of the snow

thanks muchly.

[TankLV]

30. If this is water, which I seriously doubt, then it COMPLETLY contradicts ALL other scientific

results.

Even the Discovery channel had a big special on it - it's CO2...the temp is so cold enough that the CO2 falls as "snow"...

Sorry, but from everyting I've seen and read, the article is wrong...

[GoddessOfGuinness]

24. I was wondering that...

It'd be interesting to see.

[Taverner]

29. But - could you ski on it?

That's all I care about...

[struggle4progress]

6. Mars Craft Detects Falling Snow: Soil Tests Also Hint at Past Presence of Liquid Groundwater

By Marc Kaufman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, September 30, 2008; Page A02

... In an interview after the teleconference, Whiteway likened the snow to "diamond dust" that falls in the Arctic and Antarctica.

"What this is telling us is that water does rise from the ground to the atmosphere and then precipitates down," he said. "So there is a hydrological cycle on Mars, and now other experts will study the data and try to determine what it all means."

Although the Phoenix instruments could not determine whether the snow hit the ground, Whiteway said there are some indications that it does. Images of the thin but distinct Martian clouds can be seen on the NASA Web site at http://www.nasa.gov/phoenix.

With daylight quickly diminishing as the Martian winter starts, the Phoenix is not expected to continue operating for many more weeks. The spacecraft has a "Lazarus" feature that could return it to operation when the sun returns, but the brutally cold temperatures during the winter are expected to freeze and crack parts essential to its operation ...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/29/AR2008092903068.html?hpid=topnews

[orleans]

8. all the martian children scream: IT'S SNOWING!!! n/t

[FVZA_Colonel]

9. There is something so incredibly beautiful about the idea of it snowing on Mars.

[aquart]

13. Truly. I want to see the flakes.

[ohio2007]

27. Look for yourself.

Traces of snowfall on another world

[tom_paine]

14. Yes, indeedy there is. I can close my eyes and visualize it.

Thanks, Viking Lander and all the rest for showing us what Mars looks like so we CAN visualize it!

The only bummer is the optimism of our youths that WE might get to go there has evaporated into the hard, cold mathematical, environmental and ecological truths of Climate Change and Peak Oil.

But for now, I am going to close my eyes and stand on the Martian rocky plain for awhile, and let the snow fall on me...

[FVZA_Colonel]

32. I believe that, someday, man will go to Mars.

But given the issues you listed, I am just not sure if I'll be around to see it.




But, there are always the times in which one can sit back, close one's eyes, and imagine...

[tinrobot]

10. At least their polar ice cap isn't melting away like ours is.

[BearSquirrel2]

12. And it's a good thing too ...

And it's a good thing too, if it did melt it would probably evaporate into space ;-)

[ohio2007]

28. actually......

http://search.nasa.gov/search/search.jsp?nasaInclude=Global+warming+on+mars
good luck trying to open some of the NASA links

[yoodle]

15. Simply amazing

never expected that!

[babydollhead]

17. maybe it's dandruff

[geiger]

18. so cool.

i hope one of my sons decides to go into science.

[paparush]

19. Hey, Sarah Palin can see the moon from her back deck..maybe she should work for NASA.

[Regret My New Name]

20. hahahahaha you deserve a cookie for that....

[bikebloke]

21. Nothing new

Wasn't there an old movie called Santa Claus and the Martians?

[JesterCS]

22. Here it is

Its a bit hard to see. but its there.

[MilesColtrane]

23. Snowday!!!

Now I can diss somebody thusly, "You're like school on Mars...No Class!!"

[ohio2007]

26. Goodnight Phoenix

[minnesota_liberal]

31. That's not 'snow' - it's just crappy reception

We get 'snow' on our TV every time an airplane flies overhead.