A few days ago, Craig Covault wrote an article for Aviation Week claiming that the Mars Phoenix lander didn't just find ice - it had discovered "potential for life" on Mars and that the White House was briefed about it:
"They have discovered water on Mars for the third or fourth time," one senior Mars scientists joked about the hubbub around the water ice announcement.
The other data not discussed openly yet are far more "provocative," Phoenix officials say.
In fact, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory science team for the MECA wet-chemistry instrument that made the findings was kept out of a July 31 news conference at the University of Arizona Phoenix control center. The goal was to prevent them from being asked any questions that could reveal information before NASA is ready to make an announcement, sources say.
The Bush Administration's Presidential Science Advisor's office, however, has been briefed on the new information that NASA hopes to release as early as mid August. It is possible an announcement would not come until September, to allow for additional analysis. That will depend upon the latest results still being analyzed from the spacecraft's organic oven and soil chemistry laboratories. (Source - Thanks Geekazoid!)
The news was picked up by Slashdot and the blogosphere was propelled into a tizzy, despite NASA and the White House's quick denial of the rumor.
So, let's play a fun guessing game. What do you think the "provocative" news is all about?
Figuratively.
I think it'll be some chemical component that while "provocative" to the scientific community will seem kind of pale to regular work-a-day Joes.
That the Bush administration has a "science team".
George Bush Sr. knows that there are non-natural artifacts on Mars (and the moon btw), but for some reason is determined not to let the public know.
OK, go ahead, let the ridicule begin! People can't stand the idea that someone may have been there millenia ago. Even atheists and hipsters who claim to scoff at religious fundamentalism are all too quick to deny the possibility.
Water on Mars = life (at some point at least) on Mars.
It seems to me that something is deliberately hided by officially setting so limited objectives.