And Now: White House Briefed On Potential For Mars Life
August 3rd, 2008UPDATE: Toxin in Soil May Mean No Life on Mars
I’ll comment a bit more on this:
If you know what a galaxy is, and know that there are over 100 billion of them in the universe, you’d just about have to assume that there’s lots of life out there.
The UFO/alien issue, however, has had more fulltime PSYOP associated with it than ANY other issue. Even on my little Cryptogon backwater, for example, you would not believe the nonsense that people have tried to get me to post in the wake of the recent statements by Edgar Mitchell. The topic is literally bathed in bullshit, and worse. That’s a sure sign that professionally engineered PSYOP is in play. I have absolutely no idea why this issue is being worked over in such a strong and sustained manner.
So, while it’s almost certainly true that we’re not alone, I’d be EXTREMELY suspicious about anything that the U.S. Government says about life on other planets.
And, should it come to pass that “aliens” have hostile intent and we need to spend trillions of dollars on building a new generation of weapon systems to counter the threat… Well, since most people believed the one about bin Laden, why not really shoot for the stars?
Of course, the Independence Day / alien invasion meme wouldn’t play out over night. They’d ease us into it, very slowly, perhaps with the announcement of some sort of microbial life on another planet in our own solar system. But maybe not just yet.
—End Update—
…Could Mitchell’s disclosure have been officially sanctioned? For what purpose? Who knows…
—U.S. Astronaut, Edgar Mitchell: Aliens Exist, “It’s Been Well Covered Up by All Our Governments”
Now that’s what I call a Coincidence!
Via: Aviation Week:
The White House has been alerted by NASA about plans to make an announcement soon on major new Phoenix lander discoveries concerning the “potential for life” on Mars, scientists tell Aviation Week & Space Technology.
Sources say the new data do not indicate the discovery of existing or past life on Mars. Rather the data relate to habitability–the “potential” for Mars to support life–at the Phoenix arctic landing site, sources say.
The data are much more complex than results related NASA’s July 31 announcement that Phoenix has confirmed the presence of water ice at the site.
International news media trumpeted the water ice confirmation, which was not a surprise to any of the Phoenix researchers. “They have discovered water on Mars for the third or fourth time,” one senior Mars scientists joked about the hubbub around the water ice announcement.
The other data not discussed openly yet are far more “provocative,” Phoenix officials say.
In fact, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory science team for the MECA wet-chemistry instrument that made the findings was kept out of a July 31 news conference at the University of Arizona Phoenix control center. The goal was to prevent them from being asked any questions that could reveal information before NASA is ready to make an announcement, sources say.
The Bush Administration’s Presidential Science Advisor’s office, however, has been briefed on the new information that NASA hopes to release as early as mid August. It is possible an announcement would not come until September, to allow for additional analysis. That will depend upon the latest results still being analyzed from the spacecraft’s organic oven and soil chemistry laboratories.
Phoenix scientists have said from the start that neither the TEGA organic chemistry lab nor the MECA wet chemistry system could detect current or past life.
MECA’s two microscopes do, however, have the resolution to detect bacteria–which would be life. Sources, however, say the microscopes have not detected bacteria.
The Phoenix scoop was successful in delivery of a soil/ice mixture to TEGA this week after the material stuck in the scoop on two tries. The analysis of that sample is under way. The sample contains about 1% ice and 99% soil.
As expected, the instrument immediately detected hydrogen and oxygen atoms indicating water. Its electricity load also increased initially, a positive sign that water ice was being melted by the system.
The fact TEGA is starting to process some ice samples “had champagne corks popping” here, says William Boynton TEGA principal investigator from the University of Arizona. “We have tasted the water and it tastes great,” he said.
Before launch, some website literature by the TEGA team indicated it possibly could find organic evidence of “past” life. Both Boynton and Peter Smith, who heads the mission now, say that is not the case, although TEGA organic data could start major new arguments about life.
It has yet to find organics, but still has several sample ovens available to make such a discovery. An electrical short that earlier threatened TEGA operations has resolved itself, Boynton says.
News media cited the water ice finding as a major discovery, but it was totally expected by the science team. The different MECA data combined with TEGA is increasingly compelling as another piece in the puzzle of life.
The key is in the soil and water, and how the two behave together at that site on Mars, not the expected confirmation of water ice at this stage in the mission, Mars investigators told Aviation Week.
The MECA instrument, in its first of four wet chemistry runs a month ago, found soil chemistry that is “Earth-like” and capable of supporting life, researchers said then.
It is intriguing that MECA could have found anything more positive than that, but NASA and the University of Arizona are taking steps to prevent word from leaking out on the nature of the discovery made during MECA’s second soil test, in which water from Earth was automatically stirred with Martian soil.
As Happy:-) as I am to hear it confirmed that there is “life” on Mars – well shit and shineola. There is “life” everywhere, but not in the form “we” are looking for.
If you recall the drunken sailor, oops, I mean excon, wait. As the Prez sails on the seas of his delusion, he once mentioned in a state of Union address his dream that we go to Mars. Not on a binge or LSD trip (but he may have been on one), but this guy stateth that dream.
Well now, it makes me wonder, what’s going on?
Have the Bush Bird Flu tests gotten out of control? What the fluck else aren’t they telling us?
Yeah. Let us the wee tax peoples to wet our pants getting so excited over the thought of life on Mars. Oh Happy Day.
Then lets all agree (as if we had a choice in the matter) to use tax dollars (which will be increasing ad naseum, along with the cost of everything else so that some nimrod might think that escaping this planet might some day might life affordable) to fund the freaking project to send the rich and famous off to Mars!
I love it. SAME AS IT EVER WAS. Use the short people (on cash) to fund the rich folk dream ( you know, kind of like those great submarines that the rich float on while we on planet earth sink and scrabble for a piece of the shore to hold onto).
These people aren’t exploring the universe for peaceful means but for their own dream to live in perpetuity.
I say go for it brothers and sisters. I hope no is to flucking disappointed when the alien zaps these nimrods. At least I hope they will.
Yes, the human has the right to dream and explore other worlds if they so chose.
But I don’t want to support another “exploration” if the result is something like what happened when North America was found and the slaughter ensued.
I more than willing to try to fix things up here, and would welcome an alien visitor. But to keep on with the regular progam of conquer and destroy (ya know I just want to pitch my tent)is NOT something I’d be up to.