La NASA confirma que ha hallado agua en Marte

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http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/phoenix/news/phoenix-20080731.html

NASA Spacecraft Confirms Martian Water, Mission Extended
07.31.08

TUCSON, Ariz. -- Laboratory tests aboard NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander have identified water in a soil sample. The lander's robotic arm delivered the sample Wednesday to an instrument that identifies vapors produced by the heating of samples.

"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."

With enticing results so far and the spacecraft in good shape, NASA also announced operational funding for the mission will extend through Sept. 30. The original prime mission of three months ends in late August. The mission extension adds five weeks to the 90 days of the prime mission.

"Phoenix is healthy and the projections for solar power look good, so we want to take full advantage of having this resource in one of the most interesting locations on Mars," said Michael Meyer, chief scientist for the Mars Exploration Program at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

The soil sample came from a trench approximately 2 inches deep. When the robotic arm first reached that depth, it hit a hard layer of frozen soil. Two attempts to deliver samples of icy soil on days when fresh material was exposed were foiled when the samples became stuck inside the scoop. Most of the material in Wednesday's sample had been exposed to the air for two days, letting some of the water in the sample vaporize away and making the soil easier to handle.

"Mars is giving us some surprises," said Phoenix principal investigator Peter Smith of the University of Arizona. "We're excited because surprises are where discoveries come from. One surprise is how the soil is behaving. The ice-rich layers stick to the scoop when poised in the sun above the deck, different from what we expected from all the Mars simulation testing we've done. That has presented challenges for delivering samples, but we're finding ways to work with it and we're gathering lots of information to help us understand this soil."

Since landing on May 25, Phoenix has been studying soil with a chemistry lab, TEGA, a microscope, a conductivity probe and cameras. Besides confirming the 2002 finding from orbit of water ice near the surface and deciphering the newly observed stickiness, the science team is trying to determine whether the water ice ever thaws enough to be available for biology and if carbon-containing chemicals and other raw materials for life are present.

The mission is examining the sky as well as the ground. A Canadian instrument is using a laser beam to study dust and clouds overhead.

"It's a 30-watt light bulb giving us a laser show on Mars," said Victoria Hipkin of the Canadian Space Agency.

A full-circle, color panorama of Phoenix's surroundings also has been completed by the spacecraft.

"The details and patterns we see in the ground show an ice-dominated terrain as far as the eye can see," said Mark Lemmon of Texas A&M University, lead scientist for Phoenix's Surface Stereo Imager camera. "They help us plan measurements we're making within reach of the robotic arm and interpret those measurements on a wider scale."

The Phoenix mission is led by Smith at the University of Arizona with project management at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., and development partnership at Lockheed Martin in Denver. International contributions come from the Canadian Space Agency; the University of Neuchatel, Switzerland; the universities of Copenhagen and Aarhus in Denmark; the Max Planck Institute in Germany; and the Finnish Meteorological Institute.
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Ahora solo falta el viento [heavy] [heavy]
 
[meparto] [meparto] Ya que estamos, que este plana por un hemisferio para freestyle, y por el otro, olas perfectas 😁 Y que el viento no sea racheado [aiba]
 
La temperatura media registrada en Marte es -63° C (-81° F) con una temperatura máxima de 20° C (68° F) y un mínimo de -140° C (-220° F).

La lycra la descarto, el neopreno de cuantos mm me recomendais? Soy incapaz de navegar con escarpines y guantes... cómo lo veis?
(Ya se que lo que estoy preguntando no corresponde a OFF-Topic, sino a Viajes, Destinos, etc.., pero aprovecho, con vuestro permiso, el hilo).

Supongo que en "invierno marciano" se podrá hacer windsurf "on ice", la verdad es que se poco de este spot!

Love, Peace & Harmony para todos!
 
Alquilaran material o hay que llevarse el propio?
Lástima que esta un poco lejos para ir navegando con el tuyo!!:mrgreen:
 
Aquí tenemos los primeros mapas de viento de marte (eso sí, vientos solares... serán como los térmicos de aquí?)

Me cuesta un poco interpretar las flechitas, pero... lo veo trasladable al windguru!!!

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Love, Peace & Harmony para todos!!!
 
predomina el poniente, y a ultima hora rola a sur, no esta mal, jajajjaja
 
dani152 dijo:
Ahora solo falta el viento [heavy] [heavy]
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Bueno, el viento no falta en Marte precisamente. De hecho, es uno de los problemas que tienen a la hora de aterrizar (la palabra es correcta, no existe "amartizar", ya que "aterrizar" no se refiere al nombre del planeta, sino al material sobre el que te posas: "Dicho de un avión o de un artefacto volador cualquiera: Posarse tras una maniobra de descenso, sobre tierra firme o sobre cualquier pista o superficie que sirva a tal fin.").

Cito de una web:
"The speed can not be calculated as the wind sensors had partial failures but the removal of piles of sand placed by the soil sampler, suggests winds of greater than 60 MPH, (28 m/s). An important thing to remember is that the force of the wind is lower on Mars by about a factor of 10, compared to Earth due to its lower density."

Conclusión: tenemos 60 nudos, pero al ser la atmósfera menos densa, no empuja igual que aquí, asi que habría que considerarlo como unos 6 nudos... [aiba]

De todas formas, hace tiempo leí acerca de los vientos de Marte, y creo que pueden llegar a ser inmensos, solo que ahora no tengo tiempo de buscar en la web más referencias para confirmar esto. [muro]
 
Sigal Kiter dijo:
Aquí tenemos los primeros mapas de viento de marte (eso sí, vientos solares... serán como los térmicos de aquí?)
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Los vientos solares existen en todo el sistema solar, no son cosa de Marte. En la Tierra nos afectan menos debido a la magnetosfera, pero a veces crean problemas en los satélites e incluso en tierra cuando hay tormenta solar. El viento solar es el responsable de las auroras. 😁

Por cierto, no sé si sabeis que una idea que se lleva barajando desde hace tiempo para realizar viajes espaciales es el aprovechamiento del viento solar, haciendo literalmente naves espaciales "a vela". Eso si, hablamos de velas de una superficie inmensa, asi que no creo yo que nos valga ni con una de fórmula para planear por el espacio...
 
Esperemos que para este spot no fallen mucho las previs..porque aqui si que jode hacer el viaje para nada..jajaj
 
Creia que el viento solar eran inmensas emisiones de energía en forma de radiaciones, no sabía que incluyera materia...
 
Son emisiones de partículas. De hecho, el Sol desprende cada segundo millones de toneladas de materia... [ojos2]
De todas formas, por muy bonito que suene, en realidad las velas solares no son impulsadas por el viento solar, sino por la radiación solar.
 
Jajaja... hemos visto mucho "el planeta del tesoro" de Disney no??? jajaja, ahi hacian wind con una vela solar....
 
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