# Admiral, There Be Metal on Mars! **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [January 14, 2005, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/admiral-there-be-metal-on-mars/284629 "2005-01-14T00:26:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2005, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/admiral-there-be-metal-on-mars/284629/1 "2005-01-14T00:26:23Z")
[At least, it’s looking like it.](http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/mars_object_050113.html) > [@](#): > > NASA’s Opportunity Mars rover has come across an interesting object – perhaps a meteorite sitting out in the open at Meridiani Planum. Initial data taken by the robot’s Mini-Thermal Emission Spectrometer (Mini-TES) is suggestive that the odd-looking “rock” is made of metal. > > The curious-looking object stands out in the parking-lot like landscape of Meridiani Planum. > > “We’re curious about it too. We have Mini-TES data on it now, and they suggest that it may actually be made of metal,” said Steve Squyres, lead scientist on the Mars Exploration Rover mission from Cornell University. > > “So we are beginning to suspect that it may be a meteorite. I stress that this is very preliminary!”, Squyres told [SPACE.com](http://SPACE.com). And folks, I’ve just gotten an idea on how to pay for a _manned_ mission to Mars because of this! Methinks folks would be willing to pay **big** money for weapons like swords and such made from Martian (home of the god of war) metal! ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2005, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/admiral-there-be-metal-on-mars/284629/2 "2005-01-14T00:47:59Z")
Ooh, [shiny](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=5716090#post5716090)! ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2005, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/admiral-there-be-metal-on-mars/284629/3 "2005-01-14T04:55:27Z")
> [@Tuckerfan](#): > > I’ve just gotten an idea on how to pay for a manned mission to Mars because of this! Methinks folks would be willing to pay **big** money for weapons like swords and such made from Martian (home of the god of war) metal! Is a manned mission really the way to go? How about miner bots that run around gathering up the ore? With no human to send home, there’s room for at least a couple hundred pounds more sword ingredients. But I fear the sword you make this way is going to have a price comparable to the sum of the cost of all the swords yet made on planet earth. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2005, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/admiral-there-be-metal-on-mars/284629/4 "2005-01-14T05:34:26Z")
> [@Xema](#): > > Is a manned mission really the way to go? Yes, yes it is, since I can’t get there if it’s a robotic mission. 😉 > [@](#): > > How about miner bots that run around gathering up the ore? With no human to send home, there’s room for at least a couple hundred pounds more sword ingredients. How about we just leave the humans there? > [@](#): > > But I fear the sword you make this way is going to have a price comparable to the sum of the cost of all the swords yet made on planet earth. Not necessarily. Decent swords are fairly light, and it’s not like you have to make the entire sword out of Martian materials. Even a few grams is enough to entice collectors to pony up big bucks for one. Especially if each sword, knife, etc. is unique in design. ---
**Author:** ![SPOOFE](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c5a1d2/32.png) [@SPOOFE](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SPOOFE)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2005, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/admiral-there-be-metal-on-mars/284629/5 "2005-01-14T08:23:15Z")
> [@](#): > > Yes, yes it is, since I can’t get there if it’s a robotic mission. You could if you were… ROBOCOP!!! ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2005, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/admiral-there-be-metal-on-mars/284629/6 "2005-01-15T00:47:46Z")
> [@Tuckerfan](#): > > How about we just leave the humans there? What?! Maroon our beloved Tuckerfan? (Er … you are human, aren’t you? Just checking.) ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2005, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/admiral-there-be-metal-on-mars/284629/7 "2005-01-15T01:17:54Z")
> [@Xema](#): > > What?! Maroon our beloved Tuckerfan? I don’t mind. > [@](#): > > (Er … you are human, aren’t you? Just checking.) Yes, but some times I like to [pretend I’m a baked potato.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=296486) ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2005, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/admiral-there-be-metal-on-mars/284629/8 "2005-01-15T06:04:00Z")
**Akinakes Ares** , fallen from the sky. Protector of its possesor and slayer of all enemies. ---
**Author:** ![Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/regallag_the_axe/32/445_2.png) [@Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Regallag_The_Axe)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2005, 6:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/admiral-there-be-metal-on-mars/284629/9 "2005-01-15T06:36:40Z")
> [@Tuckerfan](#): > > Yes, yes it is, since I can’t get there if it’s a robotic mission. 😉 You pathetic humans. * * * Another drunken post brought to ypu by: