Water? On MY Mars?

**The Black Joker** · 08-01-08, 02:41 AM

Originally Posted by SoySoldier

Also,

Water is not important because it contains oxygen, well not entirely, oxygen and two hydrogen together is very special. It is important because of the unique ability hydrogen bond. Polar interactions make water less dense when frozen. Everything else increases density as temperature decreases, except water. The Hydrogen bonds cause it to form a lattice at freezing temperatures actually increasing volume, but not mass. If water froze the way everything else did, life would not exist as we know it. This is Ch101 stuff for the most part.

Oxygen is all over in forms that are unusable to us... Silicates, (SOn), Carbonates (COn). Mangenates (MgOn), etc. Most rocks are made primarily of silicates, and they are all over the place. Mars is covered with Iron Oxides for example.

Every single interaction in organic systems uses redox reactions; and they have to use water. from the dissolution of glycosidic linkages in the starch you get energy from to the polar bonding protein folding your energy goes to build, it all uses water. well... Hydroxyls and Carboxyls (OH, CO) which yield water or use water to operate.

lol
pwned

thats why you pay attention in school

**SapiensErus** · 08-01-08, 02:46 AM

Originally Posted by The Black Joker

thats why you pay attention in school

heh. I dropped out of the 7th grade.

But I went to college finally when I was 25 (tested right in above those who went to school oddly)...and I have a keen interest in the natural sciences.

I love these discussions though... the truth is out there.

**The Black Joker** · 08-01-08, 02:50 AM

Originally Posted by SoySoldier

Originally Posted by The Black Joker

thats why you pay attention in school

heh. I dropped out of the 7th grade.

But I went to college finally when I was 25 (tested right in above those who went to school oddly)...and I have a keen interest in the natural sciences.

I love these discussions though... the truth is out there.

well thats cool...I love natural sciences too!!! I love studying living things most though :P (biology for the nubs)

**Wurzzzz** · 08-01-08, 02:57 AM

Originally Posted by SoySoldier

Problem with mars is it has no magnetic core. THe magnetosphere is crucial to keeping certain compounds in and others out. IE, we will not terraform Mars; period. Saturn is more likely but still unlikely.

I wrote a research paper for my Planetary Geology class about the potential of terraforming plantes such as mars.

If this is correct as you say then why are scientists still talking about terraforming Mars? I'm guessing that the scientists working on this stuff wrote the papers you researched for your paper. Doesn't really make sense to keep talking about it if it's a moot point.

**SapiensErus** · 08-01-08, 10:54 AM

This is a good point; and as a scientist, I still fantasize about terraforming mars.

Basically, making an atmosphere is almost as far fetched as making a magnetic core active again with our current technology and knowledge...thus, they are all unlikely, but the position of science is to explore the unlikely.

There is speculation of making portions of Mars (or other water bearing planets) habitable without necessarily terraforming the whole planet. A Biodome using natural water resources is one example. Environmentally sealed buildings and a sealed mass transit system all laying on top of natural resources (water) would be an idea related to that. Also, subterranean cavities can be sealed and the environment controlled.

There are many ideas I have read to make an atmosphere on Mars. They are all far fetched, but the magnetosphere problem is one that I have never seen any sort of realistic looking solution for. I hope we figure it out, whether on mars, the moon, saturn, or a alphanumerically designated dot in another system, I have a lot of hope. This rock is getting to damn small.

I think the coolest part of finding water on mars is not the potential for habitiability, but the potential to find microbial life on another planet. If we can find hard evidence of life on other planets, certain questions will be answered and it could usher in a new age of space technology development.

In the end, ideas in science are never moot points, you always have people towing one end of any line regardless of how far fetched things might actually be. We still have people investigating paranormal activity such as ESP and Astrology even though a good 120 years of study have never reliably seen Astrology or ESP produce predictable results in a scientific setting. People still pursue it even though it is a moot point.

Plus, turning Mars into a living planet, regardless of the unfeasability of it, is a cool idea. And who knows, someday we may know how to start convenction in a dead tectonic system someday; then we could give mars a rotating molten core again. As far as we know it is iron, so thats a good start.