# Mars discovery is "one for the record books." But what is it??? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 20, 2012, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mars-discovery-is-one-for-the-record-books-but-what-is-it/641639 "2012-11-20T20:01:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mars-discovery-is-one-for-the-record-books-but-what-is-it/641639/81 "2012-11-28T02:05:56Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Prothean ruins. Dammit, I was going to say eezo. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mars-discovery-is-one-for-the-record-books-but-what-is-it/641639/82 "2012-11-28T02:24:21Z")
[The NY Times](http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/28/science/space/undisclosed-finding-by-mars-rover-fuels-intrigue.html?_r=0) has now weighed in on the mystery. The only real news in the story is that the data will be released Monday in San Francisco at a meeting of the American Geophysical Union. One scientists says that this pretty much assures it won’t be HUGE news – if it were really monumental it would be released in a press conference at NASA headquarters. But it strikes me that, given how they’ve been burned by their past “monumental” announcements, no matter what the claim is they won’t try to make a big deal out of it. The brass will lay low until the bulk of the scientific community either backs up or trashes the claim. ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mars-discovery-is-one-for-the-record-books-but-what-is-it/641639/83 "2012-11-28T03:30:21Z")
> [@jasg](#): > > [Emily Litella][Nevermind](http://www.theatlanticwire.com/global/2012/11/nasas-curiosity-rover-didnt-find-one-history-books-after-all/59372/)[/Emily Litella] Loved the comment section. ---
**Author:** ![Ale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Ale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ale)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mars-discovery-is-one-for-the-record-books-but-what-is-it/641639/84 "2012-11-28T03:40:35Z")
The discovery, fancy that, that the second shooter wasn’t on the grassy knoll after all! ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mars-discovery-is-one-for-the-record-books-but-what-is-it/641639/85 "2012-11-28T03:56:15Z")
> [@Rushgeekgirl](#): > > Loved the comment section. I am pleased that they have decided to keep this quiet to avoid pissing off our new Martian Overlords. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mars-discovery-is-one-for-the-record-books-but-what-is-it/641639/86 "2012-11-28T04:18:54Z")
The Republican Party’s soul? ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mars-discovery-is-one-for-the-record-books-but-what-is-it/641639/87 "2012-11-28T04:21:32Z")
> [@Siam\_Sam](#): > > The Republican Party’s soul? I don’t think the rover has a microscope powerful enough to see _that_. ---
**Author:** ![Icerigger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icerigger/32/432_2.png) [@Icerigger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icerigger)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 10:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mars-discovery-is-one-for-the-record-books-but-what-is-it/641639/88 "2012-11-28T10:40:39Z")
Yeah you would need an electron microscope. ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mars-discovery-is-one-for-the-record-books-but-what-is-it/641639/89 "2012-11-28T19:08:04Z")
Turns out the scientist being interviewed was ju[st really excited about the mission in general](http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2012/11/27/nasa_mars_discovery_misunderstanding_mission_leader_excited_about_entire.html). Boo! Hiss! ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mars-discovery-is-one-for-the-record-books-but-what-is-it/641639/90 "2012-11-28T19:10:44Z")
Obviously Susan Rice is withholding the truth! ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mars-discovery-is-one-for-the-record-books-but-what-is-it/641639/91 "2012-11-28T19:15:36Z")
Jeesh. ---
**Author:** ![Neidhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Neidhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neidhart)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mars-discovery-is-one-for-the-record-books-but-what-is-it/641639/92 "2012-11-28T22:17:43Z")
Why aren’t there actual scientific breakthroughs anymore? Dammit, I feel cheated! It’s the 21st frigging century! ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [November 28, 2012, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mars-discovery-is-one-for-the-record-books-but-what-is-it/641639/93 "2012-11-28T22:32:33Z")
> [@Neidhart](#): > > Why aren’t there actual scientific breakthroughs anymore? Dammit, I feel cheated! It’s the 21st frigging century! One of my favorite Greg Giraldo jokes: “It’s the 21st Century! Why aren’t I snorting vitamin enriched cocaine off the tits of my sex robot?” ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mars-discovery-is-one-for-the-record-books-but-what-is-it/641639/94 "2012-11-29T02:56:37Z")
> [@TruCelt](#): > > Turns out the scientist being interviewed was ju[st really excited about the mission in general](http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2012/11/27/nasa_mars_discovery_misunderstanding_mission_leader_excited_about_entire.html). > > Boo! Hiss! I sense a cover-up! ---
**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2012, 11:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mars-discovery-is-one-for-the-record-books-but-what-is-it/641639/95 "2012-11-29T11:32:50Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > One of my favorite Greg Giraldo jokes: > > “It’s the 21st Century! Why aren’t I snorting vitamin enriched cocaine off the tits of my sex robot?” [/Weekly World News editor] Mars is made of vitamin-enriched cocaine!! NASA scientists cover up major dicovery!!! [\weekly world news editor] ---
**Author:** ![dba\_Fred](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c37758/32.png) [@dba\_Fred](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dba_Fred)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2012, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mars-discovery-is-one-for-the-record-books-but-what-is-it/641639/96 "2012-11-30T09:16:31Z")
It’s Martians. Soylent Red is made out of Martians. ---
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2012, 9:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mars-discovery-is-one-for-the-record-books-but-what-is-it/641639/97 "2012-11-30T09:26:04Z")
> [@notfrommensa](#): > > Sasquatch? > > D.B. Cooper? Sasquatch and Nessie’s love child? ---
**Author:** ![Frazzled](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frazzled/32/3368_2.png) [@Frazzled](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frazzled)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2012, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mars-discovery-is-one-for-the-record-books-but-what-is-it/641639/98 "2012-11-30T19:55:22Z")
I’m “friends” with Curiosity on Facebook. The text that accompanies announcements is silly but they’ve posted some great pictures in there. They posted last night that the initial discovery was some organic compounds but the later tests did not confirm the findings. So no record book for this non discovery. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mars-discovery-is-one-for-the-record-books-but-what-is-it/641639/99 "2012-12-01T02:20:27Z")
Or so they say. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2012, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mars-discovery-is-one-for-the-record-books-but-what-is-it/641639/100 "2012-12-01T03:05:47Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#): > > carbon-containing building blocks of life as we know it. It can only be [Jared](http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Hvba_LDUC_E). “Kill, Rover, Kill! Good Lander…!” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mars-discovery-is-one-for-the-record-books-but-what-is-it/641639.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mars-discovery-is-one-for-the-record-books-but-what-is-it/641639.md?page=6)