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Mars: Water could disappear faster than expected:
The small red planet is losing water more quickly than what theory as well as past observations would suggest.
The gradual disappearance of water (H2O) occurs in the upper atmosphere of Mars: sunlight and chemistry disassociate water molecules into hydrogen and oxygen atoms that the weak gravity of Mars cannot prevent from escaping into space. An international research teamthey led partly by CNRS researcher Franck Montmessin, has just revealed that water vapour is accumulating in large quantities and unexpected proportions at an altitude of over 80 km in the Martian atmosphere.
Measurements showed that large atmospheric pockets are even in a state of supersaturation, with the atmosphere containing 10 to 100 times more water vapour than its temperature should theoretically allow. With the observed supersaturation rates, the capacity of water to escape would greatly increase during certain seasons.
Journal Reference:
Anna A. Fedorova, Franck Montmessin, Oleg Korablev, Mikhail Luginin, Alexander Trokhimovskiy, Denis A. Belyaev, Nikolay I. Ignatiev, Franck Lefèvre, Juan Alday, Patrick G. J. Irwin, Kevin S. Olsen, Jean-Loup Bertaux, Ehouarn Millour, Anni Määttänen, Alexey Shakun, Alexey V. Grigoriev, Andrey Patrakeev, Svyatoslav Korsa, Nikita Kokonkov, Lucio Baggio, Francois Forget, Colin F. Wilson. Stormy water on Mars: The distribution and saturation of atmospheric water during the dusty season. Science, 2020; eaay9522 DOI: 10.1126/science.aay9522
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday January 13 2020, @08:19AM (3 children)
In His magnanimity, Musky will launch same hundred of water tanks to store that atmospheric water, if you pray strong enough.
He has done the miracle of launching a car into space already, nothing can stop His will.
(Score: 2) by legont on Monday January 13 2020, @11:15AM
This water splitting is his invention to begin with - a green tech to power his original hydrogen car company.
"Wealth is the relentless enemy of understanding" - John Kenneth Galbraith.
(Score: 2) by takyon on Monday January 13 2020, @12:48PM (1 child)
Mars has tolerated millions or billions of years of being a barren wasteland. Another century or two won't make much of a difference. But The Musky One might be able to rescue a few extra kilograms of gases with his accelerated colonization program.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 3, Funny) by c0lo on Monday January 13 2020, @02:07PM
Even more, if he manages to die on Mars just not on impact [vox.com], he may actually add some kilos of gasses by the (accelerated?) use of his colon.
(grin)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday January 13 2020, @10:04AM
They could use silver-energy shielding to keep the water vapor in, if anyone could explain how it works.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Monday January 13 2020, @10:14AM (6 children)
Everything we know, about everything, is based on a sample of living on exactly one planet out of a practically unlimited amount - and then some observations about things that are millions of miles away from us using a mixture of visual analysis and some very primitive probes that have difficulty with complex tasks like drilling holes a few centimeters deep.
It seems to be somewhat unsurprising that conditions on other planets would vary in ways we really cannot fathom until we actually get people on the ground learning what's really going on. Seriously, a pair of scientists on Mars could probably achieve more in a couple of weeks than we have in decades with our probes and rovers. The issue this introduces is that we're incapable of predicting how much we could possibly learn on Mars because we're incapable of effectively measuring our own lack of knowledge.
This isn't a criticism of anything other than our progress towards human exploration. We're doing the best we can, and making the best assumptions and analyses that we can - it's just that it's all the knowledge we're gaining is effectively negligible. We need to get boots on the ground. And, for once, this is a saying that will bring nothing but good to humanity.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday January 13 2020, @11:20AM (1 child)
Necessity is the mother of all inventions
(Score: 2) by DannyB on Monday January 13 2020, @06:40PM
Laziness has created more inventions.
What doesn't kill me makes me weaker for next time.
(Score: 2) by c0lo on Monday January 13 2020, @02:15PM (3 children)
I really doubt that what we do regarding space is "the best we can".
Example: imagine where NASA could be if it had 20% of the DoD budget (NASA budget - $22B, DoD budget - "$617 billion for the base budget and another $69 billion for war funding". Dam', production costs for a program [F35] that is expected to cost $1.5 trillion over its 55-year lifespan [aviationtoday.com] - another trillion of wasted resources).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday January 13 2020, @04:04PM (2 children)
Why do people keep believing what the US budget says? I have posted this here like a million times: https://constitution.solari.com/fasab-statement-56-understanding-new-government-financial-accounting-loopholes/ [solari.com]
They tell you they lie about where the money goes. They tell you they will say it is spent on healthcare but it is actually spent on building underground bases or whatever. ANd actually the amounts do not even need to add up to the same total. No doubt this has been going on in the DoD for quite some time.
Stop quoting numbers some bureaucrat made up to make you feel a certain way.
(Score: 2) by Freeman on Monday January 13 2020, @04:41PM (1 child)
I'm reminded from time to time about that scene in Independence Day where they see the Area 51 secret lab and the old guy gives the whole $$$ Toothbrush, $$$$ Toilet Seat spiel.
Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Monday January 13 2020, @10:48PM
Yeah, but when you have worked as one of those $$$ toothbrushes scrubbing a few $$$$ toilets as a government subcontractor, you start to realize... the budget contents really are pretty likely just as stated on the tin.