Big News From Mars? Rover Scientists Mum For Now - Basketball Forum : Professional and College Basketball Forums

**Prince** · 11-22-2012, 10:49 AM

Quote:

Scientists working on NASA's six-wheeled rover on Mars have a problem. But it's a good problem.

They have some exciting new results from one of the rover's instruments. On the one hand, they'd like to tell everybody what they found, but on the other, they have to wait because they want to make sure their results are not just some fluke or error in their instrument.

It's a bind scientists frequently find themselves in, because by their nature, scientists like to share their results. At the same time, they're cautious because no one likes to make a big announcement and then have to say "never mind."

The exciting results are coming from an instrument in the rover called SAM. "We're getting data from SAM as we sit here and speak, and the data looks really interesting," John Grotzinger, the principal investigator for the rover mission, says during my visit last week to his office at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. That's where data from SAM first arrive on Earth. "The science team is busily chewing away on it as it comes down," says Grotzinger.

SAM is a kind of miniature chemistry lab. Put a sample of Martian soil or rock or even air inside SAM, and it will tell you what the sample is made of.

Grotzinger says they recently put a soil sample in SAM, and the analysis shows something earthshaking. "This data is gonna be one for the history books. It's looking really good," he says.

Grotzinger can see the pained look on my face as I wait, hoping he'll tell me what the heck he's found, but he's not providing any more information.

So why doesn't Grotzinger want to share his exciting news? The main reason is caution. Grotzinger and his team were almost stung once before. When SAM analyzed an air sample, it looked like there was methane in it, and at least here on Earth, some methane comes from living organisms.

But Grotzinger says they held up announcing the finding because they wanted to be sure they were measuring Martian air, and not air brought along from the rover's launchpad at Cape Canaveral.

"We knew from the very beginning that we had this risk of having brought air from Florida. And we needed to diminish it and then make the measurement again," he says. And when they made the measurement again, the signs of methane disappeared.

Grotzinger says it will take several weeks before he and his team are ready to talk about their latest finding. In the meantime he'll fend off requests from pesky reporters, and probably from NASA brass as well. Like any big institution, NASA would love to trumpet a major finding, especially at a time when budget decisions are being made. Nothing succeeds like success, as the saying goes.

http://www.npr.org/2012/11/20/165513...sc=tw&cc=share

e-monk · 11-22-2012, 11:41 AM

tell me! tell me! tell me!

36 Karat · 11-22-2012, 01:17 PM

Probably a rogue copy of NBA Live 13, nothing to get excited about.

**Prince** · 11-22-2012, 01:35 PM

Had to laugh when I saw this comment on the article:

Quote:

Evangelicals rejoice — SAM found a note from an anonymous author, saying that Earth suddenly appeared in the Martian sky 6000 years ago.

36 Karat · 11-22-2012, 01:53 PM

Well, there we have it! Nothing to see here. Everything's all figured out.

Now we can all hold hands and sing Kumbaya.

**Ron** · 11-23-2012, 10:36 AM

A McDonald's cheeseburger wrapper.

**Krstic All-Star** · 11-23-2012, 11:07 AM

Water would be cool

Smath · 11-23-2012, 11:15 AM

Nasa was built with a single goal of reaching Mars , the moon was just a step before Mars... I wonder what they found.

JonMatrix · 11-27-2012, 03:12 PM

Alien poo

Or maybe a legit methane tracing.

e-monk · 11-27-2012, 04:37 PM

meanwhile... boo

http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slate...ut_entire.html

MemphisX · 11-27-2012, 05:08 PM

In other words, a scientist too valuable to kill off let loose about some info they do not want the public to know about.

**Hyperion** · 11-27-2012, 07:10 PM

No one is too valuable to kill. Just ask JFK.

**E.H. Munro** · 11-27-2012, 08:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ron

A McDonald's cheeseburger wrapper.

It's actually a 6,000 year old Twinkie. The exciting part is that when the scientists took a bite they couldn't tell the difference.

**Hyperion** · 11-27-2012, 08:48 PM

Unions ruined Mars too you say?

EDIT: You really should have gone with the original Mars Bar....

**E.H. Munro** · 11-27-2012, 10:18 PM

Mars bars don't last 6000 years. And it's clear that Mars has been mismanaged.

11-22-2012, 11:41 AM	#2 (permalink)
e-monk All-Star Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 5,672 Rep Power: 3274359	Re: Big News From Mars? Rover Scientists Mum For Now tell me! tell me! tell me!

11-22-2012, 01:17 PM	#3 (permalink)
36 Karat Mammal Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Milwaukee Age: 22 Posts: 2,299 Rep Power: 1991515	Re: Big News From Mars? Rover Scientists Mum For Now Probably a rogue copy of NBA Live 13, nothing to get excited about.

11-22-2012, 01:53 PM	#5 (permalink)
36 Karat Mammal Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Milwaukee Age: 22 Posts: 2,299 Rep Power: 1991515	Re: Big News From Mars? Rover Scientists Mum For Now Well, there we have it! Nothing to see here. Everything's all figured out. Now we can all hold hands and sing Kumbaya.

11-23-2012, 10:36 AM	#6 (permalink)
Ron Site Founder Join Date: May 2002 Location: Brea, California Posts: 14,557 Rep Power: 2734398	Re: Big News From Mars? Rover Scientists Mum For Now A McDonald's cheeseburger wrapper. __________________

11-23-2012, 11:07 AM	#7 (permalink)
Krstic All-Star Legal Smeagol Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Unemployed, in Greenland?!? Age: 34 Posts: 30,657 Rep Power: 19240053	Re: Big News From Mars? Rover Scientists Mum For Now Water would be cool __________________ LIPA delenda est

11-23-2012, 11:15 AM	#8 (permalink)
Smath All-Star Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Tel-Aviv Israel Posts: 5,040 Rep Power: 344832	Re: Big News From Mars? Rover Scientists Mum For Now Nasa was built with a single goal of reaching Mars , the moon was just a step before Mars... I wonder what they found. __________________ KVBL/FRSL - Miami Heat GM 2029 KVBL Champions: Miami Heat (Smath) Lineup - PG Sergio Jose Salvadores \| SG Chris Love \| SF Malcolm Xavier \| PF Skyler McClean \| C Dwight Howard \| 6th man SG Edd Timmons Finals MVP: Malcolm Xavier 2025 KVBL Champions: Miami Heat (Smath) Lineup - PG Chris Love \| SG Gerrod Clifton \| SF Malcolm Xavier \| PF Skyler McClean \| C Jeremy James \| 6th man SG Edd Timmons Finals MVP: Skyler McClean 2016-2017 FRSL Champions PG: Jrue Holiday /// SG: Monta Ellis /// SF: Josh Smith /// PF: Tim Duncan /// C: Andrew Bynum /// 6th player: Devin Ebanks /// Playoffs MVP: Andew Bynum

11-27-2012, 03:12 PM	#9 (permalink)
JonMatrix Veteran Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 1,168 Rep Power: 933842	Re: Big News From Mars? Rover Scientists Mum For Now Alien poo Or maybe a legit methane tracing. __________________ "I'm from America,our names don't mean ---- here"-Bruce Willis in Pulp Fiction Never underestimate the ability of stupid people in large groups.

11-27-2012, 04:37 PM	#10 (permalink)
e-monk All-Star Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 5,672 Rep Power: 3274359	Re: Big News From Mars? Rover Scientists Mum For Now meanwhile... boo http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slate...ut_entire.html

11-27-2012, 05:08 PM	#11 (permalink)
MemphisX Welcome to the Grindhouse! Join Date: Sep 2002 Age: 18 Posts: 14,877 Rep Power: 8161675	Re: Big News From Mars? Rover Scientists Mum For Now In other words, a scientist too valuable to kill off let loose about some info they do not want the public to know about. __________________ Los Angeles Clippers HQ KVBL L.A. Clippers Team Page 2016 Western Conference Finalist 2017 Western Conference Finalist 2027 KVBL Finalist 2028 KVBL Champions PG Anibal Levrino \| SG DJ Alexander \| SF Sky Johnson \| PF Henry Torre \| C Frank Weiland(MVP) \| 6th Man Nikolai Koznyshev 2018 FRSL Champion L.A. Clippers

11-27-2012, 10:18 PM	#15 (permalink)
E.H. Munro Baddest Honky Mofo Alive Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 24,272 Rep Power: 21474869	Re: Big News From Mars? Rover Scientists Mum For Now Mars bars don't last 6000 years. And it's clear that Mars has been mismanaged. __________________ If everyone loves you you're doing it wrong. "Opium is the religion of the masses." Fred Reed The Power of 99 Press "He thinks it's going to be fun being governor. It's only fun being governor of New York if you have money to spend, and I spent it all." Nelson Rockefeller on his successor, Hugh Carey.

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