Created Fri 4th Apr 2008 3:10am PST by

Will NASA's Mars Phoenix lander find life on Mars?

Settled as No

Nasa says its Phoenix lander on the surface of Mars has gone silent and is almost certainly dead. Engineers have not heard from the craft since Sunday 2 November when it made a brief communication with Earth.

Phoenix, which landed on the planet's northern plains in May, had been struggling in the increasing cold and dark of an advancing winter.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7721032.stm

Background:

Background: The Phoenix is designed to study the Martian polar ice cap. Its looking for evidence for life - past or present. Will it find anything?

A Phoenix landing failure will settle as 'no'.

More Background info: http://www.nasa.gov/missions/solarsystem/phoenix_water.html

Settlement details:Settle based on reporting from NASA.

"Life" can be present or proof of previous life on Mars.

This question closes on Dec 31 2008. Reports must be released prior to that date.

Forecast history %

Yes

96%

Settled as No on Sun 23rd Nov 2008 4:25pm PST

Activity: H$146,446
Predictions: 354
Comments: 12

Suspend date: Wed 31st Dec 2008 11:59pm PST
Settlement date: Sun 23rd Nov 2008 4:25pm PST

Initial likelihoods: Yes: 30%

Action history:

Created Fri 4th Apr 2008 3:10am PST by

jenniandboys [Admin]

Edited Fri 4th Apr 2008 1:21pm PST by

ryanj

Edited Fri 4th Apr 2008 1:23pm PST by

ryanj

Settlement requested Thu 5th Jun 2008 5:13am PST by

rogi

: http://tinyurl.com/6fj5my

The lander will not find life on Mars, as it is not able to do so.

So the correct prediction is "No".

Settlement requested Sat 22nd Nov 2008 11:21am PST by

jenniandboys [Admin]

: Satellite is dead, or at least out of commission for the winter.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7721032.stm

Suspended Sat 22nd Nov 2008 1:23pm PST by

tisha

: checking settlement info

Settled as 'No' Sun 23rd Nov 2008 4:25pm PST by

tisha

: Nasa says its Phoenix lander on the surface of Mars has gone silent and is almost certainly dead. Engineers have not heard from the craft since Sunday 2 November when it made a brief communication with Earth.

Phoenix, which landed on the planet's northern plains in May, had been struggling in the increasing cold and dark of an advancing winter.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7721032.stm

hide

Suspend date: Wed 31st Dec 2008 11:59pm PST
Settlement date: Sun 23rd Nov 2008 4:25pm PST details

Get widget!

Predictions (354)

1 year ago

silvermchic Level 8, Super-Pro (H$7,282)

predicted No (H$886 at 96%)

1 year ago

nuaetius Level 12, Guru (H$28,496)

predicted No (H$100 at 96%)

1 year ago

drachenstein Level 13, Psychic (H$58,208)

predicted No (H$500 at 95%)

1 year ago

jenniandboys [Admin]

predicted No (H$10,000 at 92%)

1 year ago

oenavigators Level 5, Predictor (H$1,566)

predicted No (H$200 at 87%)

Comments (12)

theonecalledmichael Level 15, Seer (H$312,388)

so now we begin the discussion...

posted 1 year ago

jenniandboys [Admin]

picture suggestion:
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article74981.ece

posted 1 year ago

skipper Level 1, Newbie (H$160)

ok, what so if it finds proof of past life, even just little one celled organisms, this settles as yes?

posted 1 year ago

rogi

It cannot find life on Mars, either past or present, as it is not equipped to do so therefore the answer is "No".

See http://tinyurl.com/6fj5my

"The lander is not equipped to detect life itself. Instead, scientists hope analysis of the soil and ice believed to lie beneath the surface will show whether liquid water once existed on Mars and if the ingredients needed to sustain rudimentary life are present."

posted 1 year ago

jenniandboys [Admin]

So if I had it to do over, I would have made this question a little more specific... They are looking for "organics" though which are considered a requirement for life. If they don't find any organics, it will definitely settle as no. If they do find organics, then we will spend several hours arguing whether that is enough evidence for life itself. I would certainly like to see the discovery of organics settle this question as yes but concede that its an arguable position.

(My 100$ is on no anyway)

posted 1 year ago

kruijs [Power User]

Hey, he could take pictures of Marsians.

posted 1 year ago

ryanj

Hi everyone,

I'll keep the market up as you never know what the Rover will find. That article just makes it clear that the odds are very dead set against this.

Regards,

Ryan
Hubdub Category Editor

posted 1 year ago

cheesenips Level 16, Oracle (H$562,688)

The Phoenix found ice today!

posted 1 year ago

cognos Level 14, Prophet (H$146,885)

The Phoenix confirms water today!
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25954096/

posted 1 year ago

orlin

Life on Mars would not be found, this is clear, but POTENTIAL for life on Mars apparently is.
Interesting story from a very respectful and reliable source of information in the aerospace field, Aviation Week: White House Briefed On Potential For Mars Life
http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/generic/story.jsp?id=news/WH08018.xml&headline=White%20House%20Briefed%20On%20Potential%20For%20Mars%20Life&channel=space
Have this the potential to solve the question? :)

posted 1 year ago

cognos Level 14, Prophet (H$146,885)

The question asks if life will be found.
Within the world of Mars explorers, this has been meant to be 'signs that life once existed in the past' or 'we found existing life'.

Recent reports from NASA have indicated that some findings point to 'past life' being very possible because of their findings of water and other compounds that are necessary for life 'as we know it'.

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/phoenix/news/phoenix-20080731.html

"Life is NOT found", if conditions are ripe for future cultivation of the planet.

posted 1 year ago

dragonfangxl Level 7, Pro (H$3,936)

Woo hoo lets go on strike! Break out the picket signs and get outside of hubdubs doors! Although since this is an internet site i do see problems with finding the doors...........

posted 1 year ago

Please log in or join to add a comment

Stake virtual dollars on the outcomes of real news stories! Win more if you're right and climb the leaderboards Learn more...

By joining you are agreeing to our terms of service

Related News
This news is selected automatically based on the question, its background, options and tags

score: 10

NASA's has revealed vast Martian glaciers of water ice under protective blankets of rocky debris on Mars.

Xinhuanet 1 year ago

combines more than 400 images taken during the first several weeks after NASA's Phoenix Mars Lander arrived on Mars. The center of the image is the westward part of the scene. Trenches where Phoenix's robotic arm has been exposing subsurface material

score: 10

Search for life on Mars goes into deep freeze

Telegraph 1 year ago

Touchdown: an artist's concept of the Phoenix Lander on Mars Photo: EPA The end of Phoenix's mission illustrates the difficulty we scientists face in probing the secrets of the Red Planet and in particular in answering

score: 10

Successful Mars Mission Ends on Frigid Arctic Plain

TMC Net 1 year ago

Washington ' After more than five months of an adventure that made many new discoveries about the Red Planet, NASA's Phoenix lander has succumbed to frigid temperatures, declining daylight and a recent dust storm on the northern plains of Mars that

score: 10

Mars Phoenix Lander Finishes Successful Work on Red Planet

TMC Net 1 year ago

LABORATORY CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION PASADENA, CALIF. 91109 TELEPHONE 818-354-5011 http://www.jpl.nasa.gov Guy Webster 818-354-6278 Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif.

score: 10

NASA looses contact with Phoenix Lander on the red planet

TMC Net 1 year ago

(Asia Pulse Data Source via COMTEX) -- The US space agency, NASA, has lost contact with its space probe on Mars Phoenix Mars Lander, five months after it landed on the red planet's surface. NASA said yesterday that seasonal decline in