I highly doubt that there is flowing water on Mars...

[originalpckelly]

I think it is probably liquid carbon dioxide. It might also be a stream of solid CO2, acting sort of like coffee grounds flowing down a sheet of paper. I highly doubt that water would be in a liquid state on Mars.

Mars has an atmospheric pressure of .7-.9 kPa while liquid carbon dioxide forms on at 516.75 kPa, so it might not be as likely to find liquid CO2, though I have heard that some is known to exist on Mars.

My theory is that a sort of "carbon dioxide avalanche" occurred, which would erode the surface "soil" of Mars. It would probably act like a fluid and produce a similar erosion pattern.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6214834.stm

I think NASA is ripe for the pickens when it comes to embarrassment, because I'm not the only person who think this may be true.

[hobbit709]

1. Surface temperatures on Mars

can exceed the freezing point of water. Whether or not sufficient water is available to flow at a given point is unknown at this time.

[rman]

2. The low atmospheric pressure on Mars means

water will not stay liquid for very long; it will evaporate quickly.

[Monomorphic]

11. Low Atmospheric Pressure

The low atmospheric pressure just means that the boiling point of water is significantly lower. Mars is a very cold place. Since we do not know the ambient temperature at the time, there's really no way to know how long water would persist on the surface. I'm sure there's a goldilocks zone in there somewhere though.

[newyawker99]

13. Hi Monomorphic!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[Monomorphic]

14. Thanks

Thanks man... i've actually been a lurker for a couple of years... finally decided to get an account and start contributing. *grin*

[originalpckelly]

3. I know...

and common sense says the water had to come from somewhere, well there sure as hell isn't any place for it to come from.

[Occulus]

4. underground n/t

[originalpckelly]

5. I highly doubt water could go that far on Mars...

without evaporating.

[RaleighNCDUer]

8. You think deep aquifers are not possible?

Just because water cannot persist on the surface it doesn't mean that there couldn't still be significant amounts of it below the surface. That's what the claim is, that the water geysered up from below, then once on the surface it quickly evaporated but not before leaving the erosion mark.

Does anyone know if they've determined the size and depth of the molten core on Mars? If there is geothermal heat and accessible water, a Mars colony could be viable.

[Monomorphic]

12. Molten Core

I do not believe Mars has a molten core since it doesn't have a geomagnetic field. At least that's what i've read.

[RaleighNCDUer]

22. i thought one of the probes detected a very weak field,

indicating a small, but viable, molten core. Of course, I could be wrong. It has happened, a time or two.

Maybe its just something I inferred from "Total Recall".

[Solon]

24. Mars DOES have a molten core...

However, unlike our nickel/iron core, which is dense, and extremely hot, and therefore spins rapidly, Mars is Iron/Sulfur, with up to 15% being sulfur. Its much less dense, and is cooler and slower than Earth's core. Think of the difference between lava flows out of Mauna Loa on its extremities, that are so slow you could walk past them safely, and the lava that flows though lava tubes extremely fast within it.

[Mikey929]

18. God made it

Smarten up there, buddy. If God wants there to be water on Mars, then you can bet your last dollar that there will be water on Mars. It doesn't matter that there is no science to explain it. You see, God created science. If he wants to break his own rules, that is his prerogative beacuse he is all-powerful. Remember, scientists also tell us that the Earth is billions of years old when we all know it is really 6,000 years old. And they tell us something about evolving from monkeys when we all know that we came from God's hand via Adam and Eve. So don't trouble your little head trying to explain how there could be water on Mars. It is God's will, which is all the explanation I need for anything in this world.

God Bless George Bush and all the Republicans!!! They take care of me so I don't have to think for myself.

:)

[thinkingwoman]

6. did you watch the briefing?

Because I did. And that question, along with many other questions and points (some raised in this thread), was asked and answered.

The NASA site has video of the press conference available to view for free. You might want to take a look.



edited to correct subject-verb agreement error

[bananas]

7. I tried to find the video and can't

can somebody find a link to it?
There is a short video of a woman talking with Malin,
but that's not the press conference.

[Nimrod2005]

10. You are right I watched and the questions here were answered yesterday...nt

[pooja]

9. I think they are saying this because unstudied people's won't

know different, and then they can waste money on supididty... Do you realize how many times I hear someone say something stupid about environmental issues. Even people who are supposed to know.

[Monomorphic]

15. Carbon Dioxide Sublimes

CO2 sublimes!!! That means it goes directly from solid to gas!!!! DUH!!

[ProdigalJunkMail]

17. ...unless you are at 5 atm or so

but that wouldn't happen on Mars...

Dolts, aye?

hmmmmm

sP

[moondust]

16. I smell a sales pitch.

It will cost a fortune to build a moon base and travel to Mars. For what? Water!! Life!!

Let the robots do it.

[slackmaster]

19. I'm thinking more along the lines of Sand Worm

:scared:

[soothsayer]

23. The worms from these 'glass tubes' on Mars?

http://www.enterprisemission.com/can.htm

[booley]

20. I don't think liquid CO2 can exist on Mars

If memory serves, CO2 undergoes deposition, in other words it goes from gas directly to solid when it freezes.

To be liquid, as you stated, would require atmospheric pressures at least 5 times that of Earth. But while Mars is typically too cold for water to melt, that doesn't necessarily preclude other sources of heat. We think that mars is geologicly dead. but we don't know that for certain. And a rare geyser is more likley then a massive change in the atmosphere that then disapeared.

In science usually the simple answer is the correct one. That there's liquid water 9or was for a brief period of time) seems more likely..

NASA isn't 'ripe for the pickens" becuase it turns it states stuff that upon further investigation turns out to be wrong. otherwise al of science would lose credibility every time it corrected itself. It's ripe for embaressment becuase it seems to be less about getting us into space and research and more about Star Wars and feel PR missions

[sutz12]

25. I thought the "water mark" was left in an impact crater...

Like a meteor crashed in and holed the surface to an underground aquifer and some of the water boiled up.

[Algorem]

21. How they make them candy bars without water then?No water.Come on.