SCIENTISTS ANNOUNCED THIS MORNING THAT THEY
NOW HAVE DEFINITIVE PROOF OF WATER ON MARS.
THIS IS A
DISCOVERY THAT COULD SHED LIGHT ONTO LIFE OUTSIDE OF
EARTH, AS WELL AS PROVIDE A BOOST FOR PROGRAMS THAT ARE LOOKING TO
SEND HUMANS TO MARS.
YOU ARE SEEING PICTURES OF THE PROOF THAT THEY ARE SAYING
THEY HAVE.
I THINK IT IS A TOOTH.
IT MAY NOT LOOK LIKE ANYTHING, BUT THOSE DARK STREAKS
ARE THE PROOF OF WHAT THEY SAY IS WATER ON MARS.
DOCTOR
MCEWAN, THE PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR OF IMAGES FROM NASA
MARS ORBITER, AND OTHER SCIENTISTS HAVE IDENTIFIED
WATERLOGGED MOLECULES, SALT,
OF A TYPE KNOWN AS PERCHLORATES.
NOW, THE TEMPERATURE ON MARS CAN GET AS
LOW AS -70 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT, THE WATER CAN REMAIN LIQUID.
MCEWAN SAYS THAT THEY'RE PRETTY MUCH HAS TO HAVE BEEN LIQUID
WATER RECENTLY PRESENT TO PRODUCE DEHYDRATED SALT.
BY RECENTLY, DOCTOR MCEWAN SAID HE MEANT DAYS, OR WEEKS, SOMETHING OF
THAT ORDER.
HE ADMITTED THAT SCIENTISTS DO NOT KNOW WHERE THE
WATER IS COMING FROM, AND WE HAVE SEEN SIGNS OF WATER BEFORE,
BUT NOTHING THIS CONCLUSIVE.
THIS IS IMPORTANT, BECAUSE LIQUID
WATER IS CONSIDERED ONE OF THE ESSENTIAL INGREDIENTS FOR LIFE,
AND ITS PRESENCE RAISES THE QUESTION OF WHETHER MARS, WHICH
APPEARS SO DRY AND BARREN, COULD POSSESS NICHES OF
HABITABILITY FOR MICROBIAL MARTIANS.
THEY DON'T KNOW WHERE THE WATER IS COMING FROM?
THEY DON'T KNOW IF IT IS FROM HUMIDITY, OR IF IT IS
UNDERGROUND.
I ALWAYS CHECK THE HOSE FIRST.
YOU JUST NEVER KNOW.
I THINK IT IS NOT JUST A SCIENTIFIC QUESTION IF IT IS
COMING FROM HUMIDITY OR UNDERGROUND, OBVIOUSLY THERE'S A
HUGE DIFFERENCE IN THE TOTAL AMOUNT OF WATER.
IF IT IS
COMING FROM UNDERGROUND, YOU HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH THERE
COULD BE.
IT IS ALREADY A GOOD SIGN FOR THE ABILITY OF US TO
SEND PEOPLE THERE.
ANYTHING
THEY COULD GET ON THE SURFACE BUT DOES NOT NEED TO BE BROUGHT
WOULD DRASTICALLY LOWER THE COST.
WATER IS ALSO OXYGEN, WATER IS ESSENTIALLY A CONSTITUENT OF FUEL.
THAT IS WORTH A LOT.
IF IT IS COMING FROM THE GROUND, I AM SURE THAT TOM
SELLECK WILL ALREADY TRY TO
STEAL IT.
HE GOT CAUGHT STEALING WATER.
OH REALLY?
I WAS LIKE, WHAT?
WE DID THE STORY TOGETHER.
AND THEN NESTLE WILL BE ALONG.
YOU BRING UP A GOOD POINT.
THIS IS IMPORTANT, ESPECIALLY IF WE'RE GOING TO SEND HUMANS TO MARS.
THE BAD NEWS IS THAT WE PROBABLY WON'T HAVE AN ANSWER SOON.
BECAUSE OF THE SLOPES AND THE CRATERS, THE MARS ROVER IS
NOT ACTUALLY ALLOWED IN THOSE AREAS, BECAUSE THEY ARE
WORRIED IT MAY CONTAMINATE SOME OF THE MICROBIAL MARTIANS,
AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
THIS IS AMAZING TO ME.
THEY DID NOT STERILIZE THE ROVER, AND
THEY ARE AFRAID THAT THE ROVER WOULD CONTAMINATE THE WATER THAT
WAS THERE, OR WHATEVER.
SO THEY DID NOT WANT TO DO THAT, SO THEY
ARE GOING TO BRING IT BACK TO EARTH WHERE RIVERS ARE LITERALLY
CATCHING ON FIRE.
THEY ARE AFRAID OF FUCKING UP MARS?
WE WANT TO KNOW EXACTLY WHAT IS IN THERE AND IF WE ARE TO
CONTAMINATE IT WE MAY NEVER KNOW.
IT SEEMS LIKE, THOUGH, IF
IT WOULD BE AMAZING FOR LIFE TO BE ON MARS, AND WE BRING THE
ROVER THERE WITH MICROBES, AND THE MICROBES GET IN THE WATER
AND THEY CAN LIVE, WHY ISN'T THAT AMAZING?
THAT IS LIFE ON
MARS.
WHAT DOES IT MATTER IF IT WAS THERE THIRTY DAYS AGO
OR IF WE PUT IT THERE NOW?
I'M KIDDING, I KNOW WHY IT
MATTERS, WHY DON'T WE GET
STARTED NOW?
WE TALK ABOUT TERRAFORMING, WHY NOT START NOW?
TERRAFORMING?
MAKING MARS MORE HABITABLE.
THERE IS A WAY THEORETICALLY THAT YOU COULD TRY TO
STRENGTHEN OR REINFORCE THE ATMOSPHERE.
NO KIDDING.
I AM NOT SAYING WE HAVE THE TECHNOLOGY NOW, BUT THAT IS
WHAT THE FIELD OF TERRAFORMING IS ABOUT.
WOW, THAT IS SOMETHING.
I KNOW TERRA-COTTA.
SIMILAR.
THAT IS TRYING TO REINFORCE THE ABILITY TO HOLD
WATER.
DOES ANYONE ELSE THINK THAT IT IS A BIT SUSPECT THAT WE
ARE NOW FINDING OUT THIS WEEK ABOUT WATER ON MARS, WHEN WE
HAVE ALREADY KNOWN SOME OF THIS
BEFORE, THE THEORY ABOUT THE PERCHLORATES?
THIS HAPPENS TO
BE THE WEEK THAT THE MARTIAN COMES OUT, WHICH WAS MADE IN
CONJUNCTION WITH NASA.
ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
IT IS AN INCREDIBLY PRO-SCIENCE MOVIE.
IT IS AWESOME, GO SEE IT.
IT IS INCREDIBLY PRO-NASA, AND NOW ALL OF A SUDDEN THEY
ARE FINDING OUT STUFF AND PEOPLE ARE THINKING ABOUT MARS,
AND MARTIANS NOW.
THE GUY WHO DISCOVERED IT SAW SOME OF THESE STREAKS IN
2011, WHEN HE WAS AN UNDERGRAD.
OVERACHIEVER.
BUT THEN THEY GOT BETTER PICTURES, AND THAT IS WHY
THEY CAN NOW SAY DEFINITIVELY.
I THINK YOU ARE ONTO SOMETHING.
IT IS A GOOD MOVIE, SO IF YOU GET FOOLED INTO SEEING IT,
IT IS AWESOME.
SO THERE IS SALT IN THE WATER, AND THE SALT MIXES WITH THE
WATER SO IT STAY LIQUID BELOW FREEZING?
WHAT NORMALLY WOULD BE FREEZING.
IT IS ALSO THE THING THAT SUCKS IT OUT OF THE AIR.
THE SALTS ARE MAKING A CONGEALED MASS.
I THINK IT'S INTERESTING, I ALREADY WANTED TO GO, NOW
THERE IS WATER.
HE WANTS TO GO TO MARS.
WE HAVEN'T TALKED ABOUT THAT BEFORE.
NOT SOON, TEN YEARS.
I WOULD GO, BUT I WOULD NOT SIT IN THE MIDDLE SEAT.
YOU DON'T WANT TO GET STUCK THERE.
EVERY TIME YOU GO TO THE
BATHROOM, YOU HAVE TO GET THE
OTHER ASTRONAUT TO STAND UP.