Phoenix

**Beirut** · 05-28-2008, 22:46

Originally Posted by Viking

Can't see why they wouldn't.

Social unrest, maybe? Some people would definitely get freaky. I suppose it depends on what kind of life they find, microbes or octosquid.

**Gregoshi** · 05-29-2008, 03:45

I'd be more concerned about microbes...War of the Worlds in reverse, don'tcha know.

**Viking** · 05-29-2008, 08:32

Originally Posted by Beirut

Social unrest, maybe? Some people would definitely get freaky. I suppose it depends on what kind of life they find, microbes or octosquid.

The public has been prepared for this for a long time if it should happen. It'll hit the big headlines at first, but then it'll wane off like anything else, and nothing will feel more natural than there being life on Mars. BTW, don't forget about the ALH meteorite.

**Gregoshi** · 05-29-2008, 21:10

Originally Posted by Viking

The public has been prepared for this for a long time if it should happen.

Good point. With all the books and movies about aliens and life elsewhere, you'd think we'd be somewhat desensitized about the question of life elsewhere.

**Viking** · 05-31-2008, 11:56

Looks like if we might have discovered ice already:

the pictures were taken by the robotic arm camera and the view is from under the spacecraft. I don't think that the robotic arm is able to reach any of these patches, but there is probably the same amount of ice surrounding the lander also.

These images haven't been commented officially yet (I've collected them from the raw image gallery where the images are made available to the public just as the scientists receive them); but an image which less convincingly appears to be showing ice was commented on the press briefing yesterday: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/ph...-20080530.html

**Viking** · 05-31-2008, 20:03

And finally the speculation is official: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/ph...-20080531.html

Gotta love armchair science.

**Viking** · 06-17-2008, 21:51

Some more shiny material exposed after digging with the robotic arm.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

Could be either salts or water ice; scientists do not know yet. Link: http://phoenix.lpl.arizona.edu/06_16_pr.php

Anyway, here's a bigger version of the image that CBR linked to, arguably one of the coolest Mars pictures ever taken:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read:

Link: http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA10705