Doctor Who - The Waters of Mars - NASA Confirms Findings

By Ken Parker

Sorry, I couldn't resist this article.  It has been a fantastic year for outer space and astronomy fans with the flyby of Pluto and the discovery of Earth like planets out in the Galaxy.  Perhaps the most exciting news was delivered today - evidence of water on Mars.  This was always thought possible but not confirmed until today.

http://www.theguardian.com/science/2015/sep/28/nasa-scientists-find-evidence-flowing-water-mars

So, Doctor Who fans will obviously think of the episode "The Waters of Mars".

Manned Mission to Mars - Not a Good Idea

Manned Mission to Mars - Not a Good Idea - by Ken Parker

You have all probably heard about the planned mission to Mars coming up in 2018 and certainly there are a lot of things that need to be considered before we send humans further into space than ever before.  Beyond the technical and financial limitations one has to think what might happen.  We only have to look around and we can see all kinds of evidence of the bad that might come from the mission. I speak mostly of what we might find or awaken on Mars.  That's right.

First, is there life on Mars?  Well, so far, nothing has been proved other than there might have been at some point. But how do we really know for a fact that there is not life on Mars......

Life On Mars? Scientist Aren't Saying ...Yet

"Earthshaking."

It seems like an odd choice of words to describe something discovered by Curiosity on Mars. But that's exactly what John Grotzinger, principal investigator for the Mars Science Laboratory, said about a recent soil sample test, according to an article by Nancy Atkinson at Universe Today. Grotzinger, in an NPR Today interview, was quoted as saying:

"This data is gonna be one for the history books," he said. "It's looking really good."

 The obvious question is "what?" Or, to be more precise, "WHAT?"

For now, the scientists are not saying. They are, after all, scientists who want to be absolutely certain about their discovery before announcing it to the world. That could be weeks away.

Said Joe Palca of NPR:

"They have some exciting new results from one of the rover's instruments. On the one hand, they'd like to tell everybody what they found, but on the other, they have to wait because they want to make sure their results are not just some fluke or error in their instrument."

In the meantime, it's anyone's guess - signs of life? Little green men, maybe?

Curiousity finds TARDIS on Mars

It was only a matter of time (time - get it?). Special thanks to Paul Ilett.

Monolith Found on Mars

In addition to the ones found on the Moon and of course the huge one orbiting Jupiter, another monolith has been spotted on Mars.  NASA has released a photo of the Monolith.

http://news.yahoo.com/monolith-object-mars-could-call-214004772.html

What does Bruce Springsteen have to do with sci fi? Well, he's releasing an album dedicated to the woes of Martian miners ... It's on the internet, so it must be true, right?

There's a crater on the edge of town

I mean, the writers of The Onion, America's Finest News Source, would not lie to us, would they? They're
professionals! They have their own website! And a story with quotes, even!

The Onion is reporting that rock'n'roller Bruce Springsteen has released "Red Dust," dedicated to the plight of hard-working miners on Mars.

"I try to write about universal feelings and desires," Springsteen said in an apparently exclusive interview because I couldn't find a single word about this news on any other website. "There's tragedy, grief, redemption. But there's also nostalgia for one's carefree younger days of racing souped-up hyper-thrust cruisers through the Valles Marineris canyon, and for nights spent chasing Martian girls along the rusting boardwalks of a crater-side spaceport."