NASA orbiter reveals buried Martian glaciers The ground-penetrating radar aboard NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) has identified extensive Martian glaciers buried under "protective blankets of rocky debris". The glaciers - lying in the Hellas Basin region of Mars's southern hemisphere - stretch for "dozens of miles from edges of mountains or cliffs". Their …
Radar is basicly misunderstood. Radar does not Bounce off anything. its simply analog display of variations of resistance that signal makes then by use of prism, half signal is carried to luminous screen. where differnt levels of power, current thats blocked has more, curent that passed thru less, is upped by wand to increase intensity of variations of signal. Nothing more.
Signed:PHYSICIAN THOMAS STEWART VON DRASHEK M.D.
Yes, Drashek. Now turn it on it's head and solve Gauss's equations for current induced by absorbed radiation and consequent emitted radiation from the thing the radar is 'bouncing' off. It's almost a tautology if I look at it in your manner!
As for that prism... well many things absorb and emit in different frequencies. Traditional radar looks for the same bandwidth it transmits - metal targets work well with that approach. It does not _have_ to receive at the same bandwidth it transmits though.
Way back when I was a kid, Mars was dead and dry. It was almost like scientist were badly embarrassed by Lowell's enthusiastic yet wrong headed interpretation of Schiaparelli's 'canali'. The idea of water on Mars was anathema and consigned to the dustbin of history after Mariner 4 sent back the first detailed (by 1965 standards) pictures.
It is pleasant and amusing to see the steady erosion of the dry Mars paradigm. We have repeatedly heard scientists say, "Well maybe there is this water on this bit Mars but that is all, I am certain of it..." and yet they have been repeatedly been proven wrong - limited by their faith in the known 'fact' that Mars is essentially dry. Frozen maybe, but the dryness concept seems to be all washed up.
For the record, I respect and endorse the scientific method as the proper approach to understanding the world and the universe in general. But the history of water on Mars has underlined the need for scientists to also understand their own core beliefs lest they interfere with the discovery of truth.
Now that 'dry Mars' has largely been put to bed, let's get to work on 'dead Mars'
didn't the japan prepose sending a nuclear reactor to mars. polar cap to melt it just to see what would happen if it would do the total recall oxygenise the atmosphere job
was the theory defunct or what. get those arses in gear and send up those nukes if it didn't. work well its not our world if it works we can invade :-)
@ Nagyeger -cool music was by jeff wayne they need to do a rock version nowadays though.
A nice start but if it turns out there is not quite enough water and other useful materials in the frozen bits there is always a quick solution.
Just start popping some of those errant comets that keep bothering us onto the surface.
Not only will you be adding a few megatons or more of CHON based material but you will also be adding a nice little boost of thermal energy to the environment.
*CHON - Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Nitrogen - basic material used by a biosphere and supposedly the majority of material in a comet
** wouldn't want to be anywhere in the vicinity of an insertion either - gets kind of warm rather quickly for a short period of time.
Mines the one with the Traveller passport in the pocket.
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