This is HUGE news. I'm amazed that the press is being so nonchalant about it. Folks, there is liquid water on Mars _right now_. The odds that this water is biologically sterile are extremely remote. The questions raised by NASA's announcement are now quite urgent: Does our exploration of Mars put the planet at risk for bio-contamination? How certain are we that we'll be able to guarantee that Martian soil samples returned to Earth can be adequately quarantined? (Remember the Genesis mission?) Assuming there is some kind of simple life on Mars, is it even remotely possible to speak of human exploration of the planet without cross-contamination? Recall that Apollo astronauts came back from the moon filthy from moon dust. What mechanisms keep the below-ground water warm enough to flow? Seth -----Original Message----- From: utah-astronomy-bounces+sjarvis=slco.org@mailman.xmission.com [mailto:utah-astronomy-bounces+sjarvis=slco.org@mailman.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Patrick Wiggins Sent: Wednesday, December 06, 2006 4:38 PM To: utah astronomy listserve utah astronomy Subject: [Utah-astronomy] (From NASA) Mars - Recent Gushing Water and NewCraters Multimedia Advisory Dec. 6, 2006 Mars: Recent Gushing Water and New Craters A pair of significant discoveries about the red planet appears in this week's journal Science: evidence that, within the past five or seven years, water gushed on Mars in two gullies, and 20 new impact craters formed on the planet. The evidence comes from NASA's Mars Global Surveyor, managed by JPL. Audio and visual products now playing at http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/ multimedia/ include: . A slideshow with images that provide evidence of recent water flows on Mars . A web video/podcast about the discoveries . An audio podcast interview with Dr. Michael Malin, principal investigator for the camera that made the discoveries More information on Mars Global Surveyor, which launched Nov. 7, 1996, is at at http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/mgs/ or http:// mars.jpl.nasa.gov/mgs/ . -end- _______________________________________________ Utah-Astronomy mailing list Utah-Astronomy@mailman.xmission.com http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/utah-astronomy Visit the Photo Gallery: http://www.utahastronomy.com