Life On Mars?

[BrassFusion]

http://www.itwire.com.au/content/view/10553/1066/

Using a ground-penetrating instrument for the first time, Mars Express scientists conclude nearly pure water ice, laced with dust particles, exist almost 4 kilometers under the frozen surface of Mars' South Pole.

Mars Express scientists conclude that if this water ice is (hypothetically) thawed out, the resulting liquid ice would cover the planet’s surface to a depth of about 11 meters (36 feet).

Ok. Cool. Water on Mars. Now can someone explain that second sentence to me? Water ice? Liquid ice?

[Gaf The Horse With Tears]

Thats really cool info. Good to hear. As for the "liquid ice" thingy... I see NASA using that language alot.. not sure what they mean.

[BrassFusion]

Best I can figure is that "water" implies pure H20 and ice isn't always that. What I don't get is that if it's that far under the surface, how could it cover the surface if thawed out? I mean, are they talking strictly in terms of volume?

[Gaf The Horse With Tears]

prolly

[Rayne]

Wickipedia maybe?

[sinmantyx]

Alright, I don't have "direct contact" with NASA lingo very often, but my intuition tells me that saying "water ice" just means solid H2O, and liquid water means liquid H2O. I'm thinking that the reason they just don't say "ice" is because on other planets other substances are solid. For example, you might have a planet with "ice caps" made of CO2...and you wouldn't want those to get confused with "water ice caps".

[Gaf The Horse With Tears]

Yeah, that parts pretty straight forward.. the point of confusion is what they mean by "Liquid Ice". Mars's polar caps are methane ice after all. It could mean that the water ice is in pieces of a very small size... like sand... which would make it "flow" like a liquid.

[sinmantyx]

Yeah, that parts pretty straight forward.. the point of confusion is what they mean by "Liquid Ice". Mars's polar caps are methane ice after all. It could mean that the water ice is in pieces of a very small size... like sand... which would make it "flow" like a liquid.

Oh gosh, I didn't even see that at first. That is strange. Perhaps they mean the "liquid which was once ice" and they just worded it strangely, or it could just be a typo. I think if they were talking about some sort of amorphous solid or colloid or other strange state they would have explained it more.

[Steven]

http://www.itwire.com.au/content/view/10553/1066/

Now can someone explain that second sentence to me? Water ice? Liquid ice?

its liquid.

its Ice.

its new liquid ice breath freshener.

remember?

Jessica and Ashley SImpson were selling it and now NASA is in on it.

[sinmantyx]

its liquid.

its Ice.

its new liquid ice breath freshener.

remember?

Jessica and Ashley SImpson were selling it and now NASA is in on it.

awesome.