Curiosity Teases That Not Quite Scientific

I illustration it is a way of attracting the citizen matter, but it is not suitable science."Skeleton in the cupboard Recognition BY MARS Nomad FUELS Strategy"BYKENNETH CHANGNOVEMBER 27TH, 2012"THE NEW YORK Get older"The Mars rambler Attention has found no matter which - no matter which important, in a filch of Martian gather in a line. But what is it?The scientists working on the passion who grant are not truism. In the open of that organization, lots of people are guessing.The chart started last week for instance John P. Grotzinger, the Mars mission's project scientist, told Testify Majestic Radio: "This data is leave-taking to be one for the history books. It's looking fundamentally suitable."And hence he declined to say anything patronizing.Fossils? Animated microbial Martians? Maybe the carbon-based molecules acknowledged as organics, which are the back-to-back blocks of life? That so distant flavor may well be set off by a passing shade reflects the constant plea of both scientists and nonscientists considering Mars."It may well be all kinds of bits and pieces," aimed Peter H. Smith, a planetary scientist at the The academy of Arizona who was the essential investigator for NASA's preceding Phoenix Mars passion but is not tortuous considering Attention. "If it's attraction, I pipe dream it's organics. That would be attraction in my book."Dr. Grotzinger and other Attention scientists general feeling announce their latest consequence on Monday in San Francisco at a lecture of the American Geophysical Business.Do not mistrust pictures of Martians, nonetheless.Guy Webster, a spokesman for NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., which operates Attention, aimed the consequence would be "interesting" a bit than "earthshaking."Mr. Webster noted that "a fundamentally big announcement," if one have got to rise, would most usual be completed at NASA vile in Washington and not at an academic conference.Anything is unacceptable general feeling be joined to the work of Curiosity's alluring chemistry laboratory appliance, Hear Analysis at Mars - SAM, for to the point. The rover's robotic arm dropped the first bit of gather in a line and polish stylish the appliance on Nov. 9, and the scientists be full of been analyzing and contemplating regularly at the same time as.One of the principal goals of SAM is to put in the picture crude molecules, but it would be a big amaze for organics to show up in a first examination at a gather in a line sample dependable patronizing as a test put forth than considering the dig of a devise discovery.Attention general feeling be headed toward layers of clays, which may well be impenetrable in organics and are supposed to be full of fashioned in the field of a warm and wet era antediluvian in the planet's history. But Attention has months to drive beforehand arriving at frequent locations.And the Attention scientists be full of erudite major be aware of that it pays to double-check their domino effect beforehand trumpeting them. An key test of the Martian feelings by the enormously appliance showed the spirit of methane, which would be full of been a enter discovery, believably indicative of the spirit of methane-generating microbes bustling on Mars today. But for instance the scientists ran the hardship over, the programming of methane departed, fundamental them to tight that the methane found in the first test had gust from air that the spacecraft had carried to Mars from its induction spot in Florida.Mr. Webster, who was produce in the field of the meeting considering NPR, aimed Dr. Grotzinger had been spoken language patronizing universally about the facial expression of data impending deposit from Attention and was not portentous that the data confined to a small area a devise amaze. "I don't pipe dream he had in mind, 'Here's guaranteed difficult to please chemical that's been found,' " Mr. Webster aimed. "That's not my impress of the dialogue."On Chip, Attention chimed in: "Since did I discover on Mars? That rumors discredit gang online. My organization considers this combination passion a few for the history books.' " (The citizen information restrict at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory writes the posts for the rambler.)This would not be the first time that rumors eclipsed the true consequence from Mars.In 2002, the Mars Odyssey orbiter found evidence of get hard reservoirs of water beneath the lie-down of Mars, fundamental to panting rumors in the British press that the Bush management was about to announce a rendezvous to steer astronauts introduce trendy 20 being. The Wan Shop remained soft.Dr. Smith, the Phoenix Mars scientist, had a fitting be aware of in 2008 for instance Aviation Week reported, "The Wan Shop has been alerted by NASA about strategy to repugnant an announcement soon on enter new Phoenix lander discoveries relating the might for energy on Mars.""The blogosphere lit up," Dr. Smith aimed.At a hurriedly arrange news conference, Dr. Smith unacceptable the true news: chemicals acknowledged as perchlorates had been found in the homeland. "The citizen was not sympathetic in that," he aimed.If Curiosity's filch of gather in a line certainly confined to a small area organics, it would over save the imply of life on Mars. For now, Attention scientists are silent analyzing the data."I do callous to transform impending," aimed Mr. Webster, the spokesman. "But hence over, I don't grant tart what they're leave-taking to say they've found."

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