40 replies to this topic

[VictorBjoerk]

Precisely,even for the future generations a greatly extended lifespan is required to colonize other planets.How are we supposed to performing long space travels to other solar systems when living to 80 and spending 20 of them just learning the basic skills.



So will a bemanned expedition to March happen in the 2030's or something?

[PWAIN]

So will a bemanned expedition to March happen in the 2030's or something?

Where is March???!!?

[eternaltraveler]

good places to first live on mars perhaps..

[forever freedom]

Am I the only person who thinks this is like the movie Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer, and mars has been sucked dry by Galactus?

I never thought of it but yea lol... there is some resemblance. Too bad these holes weren't found while the movie was on cinema, would've been great publicity.

More detailed pics:

These pics are amazing! Much more detailed, would be soo nice if Phoenix had mini mouse-like robots that it could drop to explore these places.

The second pic there.. it looks like the hole is made on ice? What kind of soil is that?

[Richard Leis]

With the new findings from Phoenix, we are now assured that Mars has not been sucked dry.

These are called pit craters and most are probably not caverns at all. HiRISE is seeing the bottom of some we have imaged. Not to say that there aren't any caverns on Mars, but so far, none have been discovered and the leading candidates turned out to be more prosaic formations.

Not to fret, though; there is much left to explore, even on the surface, let alone the subsurface.

[Richard Leis]

The second pic there.. it looks like the hole is made on ice? What kind of soil is that?

No ice here. Dust. Lots and lots of dust. Likely over lava flows. These pit craters tend to be around volcanoes, like they are on the Earth. Also, the surface is bright simply because of the particular contrast applied to this image.

[niner]

These are called pit craters and most are probably not caverns at all. HiRISE is seeing the bottom of some we have imaged. Not to say that there aren't any caverns on Mars, but so far, none have been discovered and the leading candidates turned out to be more prosaic formations.

Richard, what's the expected mechanism of their formation? Is water involved? They look a lot like common sinkholes on Earth.

[brokenportal]

damn, i couldn't agree more... how can people possibly live life without curiosity of the ever existent wonder inherent in life. This is precisely why i wanna be alive when we colonize planets and discover the universe around us... expanding our sphere of influence, though i'm terrified of heights and flying

The heights here are scary because of the gravity. With out gravity though nothing is down.

about the curiosity of the ever existent wonder inherent in life, right on. I dont think that most people understand the scariness in the "gravity" of that situation. To be here, born, sprung up from the dust, and then nonchalantly retire, and nibble on sandwhiches until you rot back into oblivion is to me, and a lot of people here I imagine, a grave misjudgement as to what this chance at existence means.

Not knowing what is going on here in the universe, dying before ever knowing, is more scary to me than balancing on a ledge 5000 feet above the ground, waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy more scary.

[Richard Leis]

These are called pit craters and most are probably not caverns at all. HiRISE is seeing the bottom of some we have imaged. Not to say that there aren't any caverns on Mars, but so far, none have been discovered and the leading candidates turned out to be more prosaic formations.

Richard, what's the expected mechanism of their formation? Is water involved? They look a lot like common sinkholes on Earth.

They are probably related to volcanic activity, where the surface sunk into a void. On the Earth they form in Hawaii and other places. They do not open into a cavern and have vertical walls and a bottom. They are "just" pits.

Wikipedia has a better description: "A pit crater (also called a subsidence crater) is a depression formed by a sinking of the ground surface lying above a void or empty chamber, rather than by the eruption of a volcano or lava vent. It is often found in chains or troughs, which may merge into a linear alignment and usually lack an elevated rim. They also lack ejected deposits and the lava flows that are associated with impact craters."

http://en.wikipedia....wiki/Pit_crater

[Richard Leis]

They don't have to be related to volcanic activity. Just any collapse because of a void below. No water is necessary.

[mentatpsi]

damn, i couldn't agree more... how can people possibly live life without curiosity of the ever existent wonder inherent in life. This is precisely why i wanna be alive when we colonize planets and discover the universe around us... expanding our sphere of influence, though i'm terrified of heights and flying

The heights here are scary because of the gravity. With out gravity though nothing is down.

about the curiosity of the ever existent wonder inherent in life, right on. I dont think that most people understand the scariness in the "gravity" of that situation. To be here, born, sprung up from the dust, and then nonchalantly retire, and nibble on sandwhiches until you rot back into oblivion is to me, and a lot of people here I imagine, a grave misjudgement as to what this chance at existence means.

Not knowing what is going on here in the universe, dying before ever knowing, is more scary to me than balancing on a ledge 5000 feet above the ground, waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy more scary.

well balancing on the ledge could result in a fall which would completely disable you from ever finding out any wonder ... as far as space... you always have to come down at some point... i suppose i'm just a landlover lol .

I agree, whatever this chance at existence is... i wanna make the most of it. I don't think too many people can truly appreciate the magnitude of it, it's not always that beneficial if not managed properly; too little time, too much to do.

So what do you guys believe is the source of the heat?

Edited by mysticpsi, 07 June 2008 - 04:35 AM.