MARS "I have a bit of water flowing around." WORLD "Yawn."

[Auslandia]

This is potentially cool news but what the hell was the reasoning behind making everyone wait all weekend to hear about it?

[Caruthers612]

This is potentially cool news but what the hell was the reasoning behind making everyone wait all weekend to hear about it?

          It's not just potentially huge, it's huge. For a start, until not too many years ago, we didn't even know if there was liquid water anywhere in the universe besides earth. Now we're finding it everywhere, including whole oceans on some bodies in our solar system. Second, the water on Mars is salt water left over from an ocean that is believed to have once covered half the planet, making life possible just as our own salt water oceans do. Thus, the presence of this leftover salt water may mean that microbial life still exists on Mars, and the confirmation that life positively exists on a world other than earth is huge. It also provides further incentive to explore Mars and other worlds, which translates into more money for space exploration and various kinds of research.
            As for the people who yawn at news of this kind, I don't pay any attention to them and will leave them to their donuts and Wheel of Fortune.

[Auslandia]

 I completely agree but I also don't understand why the announcement was delayed for so long. One could guess that maybe they needed some more verification but then again, it would have been irresponsible for someone to announce a big discovery prior to having all the data.  NASA  it's a government agency and they shouldn't be in the business of waiting for news cycles and so forth in order to disclose important discoveries. I just think it was really  unnecessary to delay the announcement and furthermore to make an announcement that there would be an announcement .

[albrecht]

This is potentially cool news but what the hell was the reasoning behind making everyone wait all weekend to hear about it?

New Matt Damon vehicle to be released soon by Hollywood called "The Martian?" Usually with government (and in some cases companies) "bad news" is released on a Friday or weekend thinking most people will not be paying attention to the news. This is awesome news and such a good tie-in with the new movie (and Hollywood is still a big backer of Obama, despite Matt Damon claiming that Obama "broke up with him" a few years back.)
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/09/matt-damon-obama-broke-up-with-me_n_3732426.html

[ACE of CLUBS]

Hoagland has this covered ...... fish faces of Mars

[Auslandia]

Next report -- Hoagland panel discussion on 3 potential ancient fly fishing spots at Martian equator

[Caruthers612]

I completely agree but I also don't understand why the announcement was delayed for so long. One could guess that maybe they needed some more verification but then again, it would have been irresponsible for someone to announce a big discovery prior to having all the data.  NASA  it's a government agency and they shouldn't be in the business of waiting for news cycles and so forth in order to disclose important discoveries. I just think it was really  unnecessary to delay the announcement and furthermore to make an announcement that there would be an announcement .

              If there's one thing NASA must always deal with it's getting sufficient funding from Congress, and doing so means generating a steady stream of good publicity, especially after the Challenger disaster which set them back a generation in that department. No politician would touch them with a ten foot pole for a long time and it's been a long, slow climb back to a perception of legitimacy for NASA since then. This whole year, with its record number of stunning pictures and developments, has been a fantastic shot in the arm for them, and well-timed announcements like today's with the water on Mars thing can only continue to help them.

[analog kid]

Limbaugh claims it's a lie and a liberal conspiracy possibly related to global warming.

But NASA has a long history of delaying announcements about major discoveries.

[pate]

This is potentially cool news but what the hell was the reasoning behind making everyone wait all weekend to hear about it?

If it twerks, old boy, if it twerdjal!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=TB_Qd2PBh0U#t=16

[pate]

heh, weahah

edomc?

<moar?

[Caruthers612]

Next report -- Hoagland panel discussion on 3 potential ancient fly fishing spots at Martian equator

        I was waiting for him to throw another hissy fit on the air like he did that one time years ago when the makers of Mission to Mars went ahead and made the movie without consulting him. Imagine.

[Caruthers612]

Limbaugh claims it's a lie and a liberal conspiracy possibly related to global warming.

But NASA has a long history of delaying announcements about major discoveries.

             I'm assuming you're joking about Limbaugh, analog, but that guy is so crackers I wouldn't put it past him. By the way, did you know science is actually a trick invented by the Left who use it to advance their commie agenda?

[analog kid]

             I'm assuming you're joking about Limbaugh, analog, but that guy is so crackers I wouldn't put it past him. By the way, did you know science is actually a trick invented by the Left who use it to advance their commie agenda?

I'm not kidding. He thinks it's a liberal hoax to push the global warming agenda here on Earth.

[Caruthers612]

I'm not kidding. He thinks it's a liberal hoax to push the global warming agenda here on Earth.

     Jesus Christ. So, then, is he just so old and out of material that he's down to making risible assertions like that that he hopes will provoke a few people somewhere into listening to his show, or is he just so old. Honestly, I have to wonder how many of his own former die-hard listeners must have abandoned him at this point.