Gearfuse

The Phoenix Mars Lander has given NASA and scientists an unimaginable amount of information. It discovered both water and snow on Mars and has helped paved the way for exploring for life in outer space. But all good things must come to an end and after a Martian dust storm, combined with the harsh winter conditions on the surface of the planet, the time has come for the Phoenix to shut down and die. NASA has declared the mission officially over and the lander is now shut off and dead.

If you’ll recall, the mission cost about $475 million. I think you’ll have to agree that it was money well spent considering what we discovered. I call dibs on the lander wheels when we all move to Mars in 2056.

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This was huge news for both NASA and the world, until today. Yesterday, the Phoenix Mars Lander heated up a soil sample from the surface of Mars. Upon heating it, a sensor identified vapors of water, meaning there very well could be life on the Red Planet.

“We have water,” said William Boynton of the University of Arizona, lead scientist for the Thermal and Evolved-Gas Analyzer, or TEGA. “We’ve seen evidence for this water ice before in observations by the Mars Odyssey orbiter and in disappearing chunks observed by Phoenix last month, but this is the first time Martian water has been touched and tasted.”

NASA will continue to operate the Phoenix Mars Lander until September 30th, when the mission will come to an end. If there’s water on Mars, then I don’t see why there can’t be life-forms on the planet. Could we see men and women on Mars in the next 15 years? Quite possibly.

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Last we checked in with NASA’s Phoenix Mars Lander, it had just discovered ice below the martian surface. Now, after multiple tests on the martian soil, scientists have discovered that the dirt-like substance contains alkaline. It’s been deemed friendly enough to support plant life both in “past, present and future.”

So the next time you want to plant some asparagus or green beans, consider martian soil. It’s rich, it’s creamy and it’s full of nutrients to support plant life. Just don’t try growing anything on Mars. The atmosphere has decayed enough that the surface is constantly bombarded by UV rays, thus killing any chance of that tomato bush you were hoping to plant.

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Scientists at NASA believe they’ve finally discovered ice on Mars. Recently, the Phoenix Mars Lander started collecting soil samples from the surface of the planet. After a few backhoe scoops, a white, glistening material was revealed. Scientists couldn’t figure out if it was ice or not but four days after it was uncovered, it vanished. The theory? It’s ice and it’s evaporating after being exposed.

What does this mean for us? It means Mars could, at some point in time, become a place for us to live. It also leaves us fucked if there was some monster living in a dormant state of rest underneath the ice. We’ll have to kick back and watch I suppose.

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Heard about NASA’s latest endeavor but haven’t had a chance to check out the pictures or read about it? No worries. I’ve got ya covered. Here’s a quick roundup on various coverage of NASA’s Phoenix Mars Lander: