MARS - Will 'Curiosity' Change Our Perception?

"NASA Keeping Curiosity ‘Secret’ For Now" by John, The Droid Guy 11/23/2012

Robotic rover Curiosity has reportedly taken a data sample of a Martian soil that could potentially change the perception of man about the red planet forever.

According to a latest report by CNET correspondent Erik Mack, the people at NASA are trying to keep something earth-shattering at least for several weeks until they are able to verify the sample.

NASA is starting to receive significant information from the mobile chemistry lab mounded on Curiosity. SAM or sample analysis at Mars has been reading really important facts about the components of the Martian soil.

NPR science correspondent Joe Palca said the people at NASA, especially Curiosity mission lead scientist John Grotzinger, are crossing their fingers that it is really a breakthrough finding on Mars.

“This data is going to be one for the history books, it’s looking really good,” Grotzinger said in the story that aired yesterday, according CNET.

Asked on the reason behind their decision to keep the findings a secret for now, Grotzinger said NASA needs to make sure that the data was not erroneous.

Lewiss Dartnell, a leading astrobiologist at the Center for Planetary Science at UCL/Birkbeck in London, said scientists not associated with NASA also have less information regarding the current discovery on the red planet. Dartnell added there is likely no option for now but to wait for NASA’s announcement.

“The SAM instrument is designed to detect organic molecules on Mars, so the smart money is on an announcement along those lines.”

Even NASA’s much awaited revelation could be months away from today, people are now starting to debate over a never ending issue on whether there’s really life on Mars.

In fact, CNET reporter Mack is already thinking of human colony on Mars with condominiums or maybe a five-star resort.

“The seas may be rising and more superstorms may continue to threaten humanity’s most important megalopolises, but there could soon be an emerging market for condominiums on Mars to take our minds off of such challenges,“ said Mack.