
Back in the the 1970s, the viking landers carried dreams of humanity expanding out into the solar system. The revelation of a barren and desolate Mars that they transmitted back to Earth only helped to underline our sense of isolation in a vast and seemingly empty universe. A universe for which the intervening forty years is less than the smallest human measurement of time, and yet here we are suddenly with a very different appreciation of our neighbouring celestial body.
Yesterday NASA confirmed that, during the summer months on the red planet, there was evidence of brine flowing – read ‘seeping’ – down from higher ground. It’s an amazing piece of science and one that brings the likelihood of extraterrestrial life much closer. Unfortunately, the discovery isn’t one that the still operational Curiosity Rover will be able to corroborate, such is the difficulty of the terrain where these water flows occur. As such, it’s down to the Mars Global Surveyor to do all the capture and analysis work from orbit.
In a freakish instance of synchronicity, this planetary activity occurs just as the promotional hype for the film adaptation of Andy Weir’s The Martian kicks off. The trailer for which didn’t endear friends and associates of this site, but that’s not to dismiss any Sci-Fi film prematurely. That said, the film’s going to have an uphill struggle on its hands if it’s to shake the stigma of the box office “curse of Mars”. In fact when the best rated movie in the selection is Total Recall (IMDB 7.5) – no reference to Robinson Crusoe on Mars (1967) we note – it’s a high benchmark for Ridley Scott to aspire to. Early reviews, while mixed, do seem promising.
So the news feeds are awash with flowing water on Mars. And yet while still a far cry from the deluge laden heavens depicted in Destiny’s original trailer, the myriad potential sparked by its mere presence remains outstanding. As NASA’s science mission chief, John Grunsfeld, so aptly pointed out when asked during yesterday’s live conference what the team intended to do with the water, he said – reaching for a glass in front of him – “We’ll drink it!”
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