Mars Soil Appears To Be Able To Sustain Life 337
beckerist writes "Scientists working on the Phoenix Mars Lander mission, which has already found ice on the planet, said preliminary analysis by the lander's instruments on a sample of soil scooped up by the spacecraft's robotic arm had shown it to be much more alkaline than expected. Sam Kounaves, the lead investigator for the wet chemistry laboratory on Phoenix, told journalists: 'It is the type of soil you would probably have in your back yard, you know, alkaline. You might be able to grow asparagus in it really well. ... It is very exciting for us.'"
Growing Asparagus on Mars... (Score:5, Funny)
It would probably lead to a very smelly planet.
They're a little late in the year for asparagus (Score:4, Funny)
Let's hope the lander doesn't break down before next year's asparagus season.
FTA: (Score:5, Funny)
You might be able to grow asparagus in it really well. ... It is very exciting for us.
And I thought I didn't get out much.
Re:send seeds (Score:4, Funny)
Asparagus (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Growing Asparagus on Mars... (Score:5, Funny)
Join the exciting new Mars colony! Wide open spaces! All-you-can-eat asparagus!
Re:Growing Asparagus on Mars... (Score:4, Funny)
(*) I know that's bollocks..
Martian Red (Score:5, Funny)
Martian pot is what I'm waiting for. I'm sure it would be outta this world.
Only a 'might'? (Score:2, Funny)
They've already found the water. Why didn't they send up some seeds?
Re:FTA: (Score:5, Funny)
growing weed should be more interesting, over there it's nobody's jurisdiction :)
NEWS FLASH! (Score:5, Funny)
I can see the headlines now in all the papers, when this quote goes mainstream;
TOP SCIENTIST CLAIM MARS SOIL SUPPORTS ASPARAGUS LIKE LIFE FORMS!
Re:So... (Score:1, Funny)
Re:Growing Asparagus on Mars... (Score:2, Funny)
Why can't I use to memes at once?
Asparagus on Mars (Score:5, Funny)
Just more evidence that Big Asparagus has co-opted our national science agenda.
Life on Mars (Score:5, Funny)
Farnsworth: Well, in those days, Mars was just a dreary uninhabitable wasteland. Much like Utah. But unlike Utah, it was eventually made livable.
Re:Martian Red (Score:5, Funny)
Given the gravity differences, an ounce of of pot on Mars would get you *much* higher.
Re:FTA: (Score:5, Funny)
That is, unless somebody's done us the favor of leaving a giant insta-terraforming machine lying around there, in which case we just need to send Ahhnold to staht de reactor.
Re:Growing Asparagus on Mars... (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Growing Asparagus on Mars... (Score:2, Funny)
How about the cocoa plant instead? (Score:4, Funny)
After all, Mars and cocoa go together like IBM and genetic sequencing [slashdot.org].
Re:FTA: (Score:5, Funny)
I bet they don't read Slashdot though.
Of course not. Slashdot is more interesting than asparagus, though sometimes not as intelligent.
not that interesting (Score:5, Funny)
Re:FTA: (Score:5, Funny)
Well, that's easy, Monsanto has a patent on growing produce in off-world ecologies. Clearly NASA does not have the budget to pay Monsanto royalties
Re:The Soil, Maybe, But What About the Environment (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Martian Red (Score:4, Funny)
There is a large contingent of Slashdot posters in Amsterdam apparently.
Re:send seeds (Score:2, Funny)
Re:send seeds (Score:5, Funny)
Funding Required For New Mars Mission! (Score:5, Funny)
WASHINGTON -- NASA has submitted funding proposals for a new Mars mission, scheduled to launch in 2012. The mission will entail a new Mars lander called the Advanced Series Polymorphic Asparagus Research Automated Growing Unit Seedfarm, or ASPARAGUS, and is expected to grow several varieties of asparagus in martian soil.
"[We] might be able to grow asparagus in it really well... It is very exciting for us" says Sam Kounaves, mission planner for the new endevour.
The lander will be expected to gather soil and deposit it into a 'grow-op' like container, where asparagus seeds will be added to the mix. "We just don't know what will happen after that, it will be very exciting to watch the developments unfold over subsequent weeks." he adds.
Included in the lander will be a CD filled with asparagus recipies for future astronauts of the first manned Mars mission, planned for 2050. "The CD will contain dozens of recipies all featuring asparagus as the main ingredient. Things like boiled asparagus, steamed asparagus, steam boiled asparagus, fried asparagus, and even just plain asparagus!" says Angela Schmidt, the mission's asparagus habilitation expert.
The $480 million project is expected to be greenlit later this year.
Re:Not mutually exclusive (Score:2, Funny)
Terraforming and manned exploration could occur in parallel.
Yeah, that works really well in all the movies.
KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAN! [khaaan.com]
Re:Growing Asparagus on Mars... (Score:5, Funny)
Priorities, priorities!
Re:not that interesting (Score:5, Funny)
Re:FTA: (Score:2, Funny)
Obviously. Humans live on earth, so global warming is caused by humans. Other planets don't have any humans, so their global warming isn't caused by humans, but if there were humans, it would be.
/sarcasm
Re:not that interesting (Score:1, Funny)
Cry me a pH balanced river! You're on Mars, stoned, and eating bitter vegetables that make your pee smell funny. What could be better?
Re:Design (Score:3, Funny)
Except that believers in so-called "intelligent design" don't need reasons to believe it. The one reason they have is Genesis, Chapter 1.
If a god had designed the Universe and wanted you to know about it, you would know by now -- the evidence would be irrefutable. I submit that either (a) no god designed the Universe, or (b) a god designed the Universe and doesn't think humanity has need-to-know access to the fact. I won't rule out (b), but I think that if a god did design the Universe, it was akin to shaking a snow globe and letting the little snowflakes move of their own accord thereafter.
Re:FTA: (Score:1, Funny)