Underground Water on Mars?

WaltonNews wrote in with a story about possible underground water on Mars. The article begins: "The Mars Express spacecraft, from the European Space Agency (ESA), has indicated to scientists that the dry atmosphere and surface on the planet Mars does not necessarily mean Mars is dry underneath the surface. In fact, a huge storehouse of water and carbon dioxide could be found in underground reservoirs."

404

[Any Web Loco]

No water after all?

Old News

[celardore]

This was discovered some time ago. [wikipedia.org]

Article link?

[Anonymous Coward]

Got a link to the article? Or do I have to go to Mars and see it for myself? I'll pack thermal underwear and a shovel.

Big Alien Button

[Rissole]

you can press to release it all. There *may* be some bad guys that will want to stop you though.

Since we lack the link!

[Anonymous Coward]

Let us all call it a dupe! :-)

The desert planet

[iiii]

Beneath the surface of the desert planet we will find huge stores of water and the spice melange, which will allow us to see into the future, which will enable us to travel among the stars. It's actually the poop of some giant monster worms creatures, but who cares, let's eat it anyway.

Underground Reservoirs?

[ticklejw]

In fact, a huge storehouse of water and carbon dioxide could be found in underground reservoirs.

...just waiting for Arnold Schwarzenegger to "get his ass to mars" and put his hand on some funky alien 3-fingered button and push, which will entirely replace the planet's atmosphere with an oxygen/nitrogen mix at roughly standard Earth pressure in a matter of seconds, just in time to save him and his girlfriend from asphyxiation on the surface, but a little too late for the bad guy to survive.

Re:Article link?

[JustOK]

Don't forget your towel

soda!

[Anonymous Coward]

" In fact, a huge storehouse of water and carbon dioxide could be found in underground reservoirs."

water + CO2 = carbonic acid, or soda water.

Mars is a big soda!

considering its red color, I'm guessing either Dr Pepper, or Cheerwine

Re:format

[Paulrothrock]

I'll take a one-way mission, too. Hell, imagine never having to wear bug spray anymore. No more poison ivy. No more dimwits trying to push their religion on you by force if necessary. And you'd be spending your life building a new world. That would be a wonderful place to die.

Just wait

[Fist! Of! Death!]

For the damned Mars Mineral water brand to hit Earth shelves...

Re:format

[1u3hr]

Bye-bye karma, I barely knew ye

Don't try to second guess the mods. It's as likely to provoke as to mollify. If you're actually fearful of being modded, just post AC.

You have to understand how much it would cost, and that there would be no economic benefits at all apart from the teflon/tang/spacepen type spin-offs; and if that's the aim,

Of course that's not the aim. The Moon will be more than enough of a technical challenge. The reason to go to Mars is pure science; to explore, and in the (very) long term; to colonise. Any economic payoff, unless we discover abandoned Martian flying saucers, is likely to be centuries away, no one is pretending otherwise. (Well, maybe Zubrin is.)

Re:soda!

[CptNerd]

So, all we have to do is drill holes all over Mars and drop huge Mentos candies down the shafts, and voila! Instant atmosphere and oceans! Plus, if we time the drops right, we might be able to nudge Mars into an orbit closer to the Sun!

Re:Try this link...

[Cimon Avaro]

I'm actually starting to get a little paranoid. It almost seems like WMD-II. "There's water on Mars — we must go!". I'm beginning to wonder if someone's got a real reason for wanting to go, and it's got nothing to do with water.

Happens to me often. I hear flowing water, and I have to go.

History of Mars Water

[Tablizer]

1973: There MAY be water on Mars.

1977: There MIGHT be water on Mars.

1997: There is POSSIBLY water on Mars.

2004: There is PERHAPS water on Mars.

2007: There COULD be water on Mars.

I am beginning to see a trend here, but I can't quite put my finger on it.