NASA's Gypsum Find Clear Evidence There Was Water On Mars 162
First time accepted submitter RCC42 writes "The Opportunity rover has found evidence that liquid water once flowed on Mars, through the discovery of gypsum — a mineral that can only be formed in the presence of water. Though other evidence in the past has suggested highly acidic water on Mars, this is the first evidence for water with a pH suitable for life as we know it."
Re:As thing go... (Score:5, Informative)
Educate yourself about Jupiter's moons
Not sure about the GP but when I went to school Europe was a continent and Europa was a Jovian moon. OTOH, geopolitical maps have changed quite a bit since the 1960's, so maybe France is obiting Jupiter now.
Clarification on Khorasan (Score:5, Informative)
"Needless to say, Iranian civilization ain't what it used to be."
I just have to clarify that Khorasan is modern day Afghanistan - It was part it was part of Persia, but it isn't Iran. Its a common misconception that people think Persia = Iran. In fact, Persia included (at a time) a lot, of not all of, the ---istan countries. "istan" is the the Persian suffix meaning land. Analogous to Scotland, Ireland.
My two cents of knowledge.. free for you!
Re:how much gypsum? (Score:3, Informative)
Are we talking just a thin crust, or are we talking "gypsum quarry" size formations?
FTA: The gypsum vein — which scientists spotted last month and nicknamed “Homestake” — is approximately the width of a human thumb and about 16 to 20 inches long.
Re:Now we HAVE to go. (Score:4, Informative)
A human would die in two minutes on mars. oh, you mean with TONS of supplies send humans? forget it, robots win.
The energy requirements alone of a human compared to the robot are fearsome.
Re:As thing go... (Score:5, Informative)
English makes the distinction, a lot of other countries don't. Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany at least "europa" is both the continent and the Jovian moon. Took me a long time to get used to writing Europe...