

Confirmed: Ice on Mars.  News broken by Twitter. - markm
http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/06/mars-phoenix-tw.html

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tlrobinson
I assume they measured the temperature and atmospheric pressure at the rover
and have done the calculations to make sure it's actually _possible_ that this
was frozen H20 that sublimed? NASA is pretty smart, right?

At least here on Earth I would expect that a solid white material that
sublimed was C02. Of course Mars is very different temperature and atmosphere-
wise.

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tlrobinson
To answer my own question, according to Wikipedia, Mars' surface temperature
is between −87 °C and −5 °C, and the atmospheric pressure is around 0.007 atm
to 0.009 atm.

And according to this ([http://bhs.smuhsd.org/science-
dept/marcan/apchemistry/h2opha...](http://bhs.smuhsd.org/science-
dept/marcan/apchemistry/h2ophase.gif)) phase diagram for water, sublimation
occurs at pressure less than 0.006 atm and temperature less than 0.01 °C.

So while the pressure on Mars might be a little too high, it's pretty darn
close. Wikipedia or that phase diagram could be wrong.

Also, I just came across this:

 _The atmospheric pressure on Mars is just a bit below the triple-point
pressure. That's why the textbooks all say liquid water is unstable on the
surface of Mars. Any liquid water will rapidly evaporate and the rest, cooled
by evaporation, will freeze. Low spots on Mars may have pressures above the
triple-point pressure, but are usually far too cold. Even if you did somehow
get above 0 C on Mars and into the liquid field, you're so close to the vapor
curve that water would rapidly evaporate. Even solid ice would quickly
sublimate on Mars except in the very coldest areas._

<http://www.uwgb.edu/dutchs/petrolgy/Ice%20Structure.HTM>

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bluelu
In other words, news broke out on twitter 2 1/2 years after ice was found on
mars.

<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4479612.stm>

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rms
So that's why it was so easy to decide it was ice... the collective
unconscious sure has a short memory when it gets excited about something.

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dhotson
I just had a thought.. is it possible the chunks could have just been blown
away by martian wind?

.. that sounded worse than I intended. :P

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gambling8nt
Blown out from the bottom of a trench? Without the trench getting filled in?

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stcredzero
The KaBoom! Where's the Earth-shattering KaBoom!?

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timr
You laugh. Check out the mission patch for the mars rover mission:

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Nasa_mer_marvin.jpg>

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ComputerGuru
Why the second half of the title? I could give it a ____less if it was
"broken" by Digg or Twitter or Slashdot or email - the only thing that matters
is whether there is ice or not on Mars. You don't see CNN headlines suffixed
with "as AP told us" or "and Reuters had it first!" etc.

~~~
jcl
It's interesting because it's unusual... People use Twitter to announce
minutia like what movie they're currently watching, not significant scientific
discoveries.

Likewise, if a politician used their SNL guest spot to announce their
intention to withdraw from the presidential race, you can bet most headlines
on the topic would include the words "on SNL".

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fallentimes
This epitomizes why twitter is going to get big.

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axod
I can't fathom if you're being sarcastic or what. If not, why do you think
this has any bearing on widespread twitter usage?

I'd say it's more likely it'd get big if celebrities were using it, or people
on the big brother show or something, but news from mars lander? :/

~~~
fallentimes
Yeah I was being sarcastic and I 100% agree with the celebrity comment, even
if it is a sad reality. Mars reporting via twitter isn't going to entice Joe
Public to sign up for twitter. Real time reporting on celebrity nip slips and
Brad and Angelina's children will.

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nailer
This is big news - I think we all need to stop, collaborate and listen.

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cglee
Cause you're back with a brand new invention?

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cglee
(look up vanilla ice lyrics if you don't get it..geez, the young'uns)

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axod
"broken by Twitter". Best headline ever.

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pmjordan
And NASA scientists say "w00t"?!?

