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'We thought it was impossible:' Water frost on Mars discovered near Red Planet's equator (www.space.com)

submitted 4 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (2 children)

So..... It's not weird if you have ever worked to try to get funding to do mars exploratory missions with the approval of the planetary councils.

One of the big rules is we can't go where we think there might be water and therefore life on Mars unless we can prove our device is 100% sanitized. To the point where a friend and colleague gave up and suggested we just shoot the surface with a copper ball and just collect the dust once it's in upper atmosphere.

Also, I was already part of a group that was taking pictures of lava tubes and we discovered cracking and shifting soil like a decade ago letting us know we had found surface water. It's kinda old news to me.

Edit: I guess the interesting part of this discovery is specifically that it's frost since that is a unique form for the water to take especially there. Since we would expect it to sublimate pretty quickly.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Wait you work on Mars missions?! What the heck do you do man that's awesome!

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

Not anymore. I couldn't get funding for either of my projects and literally couldn't figure out to do with my dual majors in theoretical astrophysics and xenobiology.

So now I work basically just IT support...

I helped build the infrared cameras for some satellites, nothing like getting a stack of diamond disks for lenses and just tossing half of them for impurity reasons to make you understand how the budgets end up so high.

And I was using the THEMIS camera for specifically work with mars atmospheric and habitability studies.

Edit: I dunno here is a fun side fact. Because of my past life, I have had direct interactions with Bill Nye (the science guy), that make me know he is an asshole, and I consider him to be a negative force on the scientific community. Just all around a self absorbed anti intellectual.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

guess the interesting part of this discovery is specifically that it’s frost since that is a unique form for the water to take especially there. Since we would expect it to sublimate pretty quickly.

If I am understanding the article. On Mars it's backwards compared to earth. Earth it is higher you go the colder it is. So to get frost up that high means air currents containing cold water are rushing up to that spot.