billvon 2,426 #1 November 30, 2012 . . . on Mercury. Pretty cool. There are craters at the poles where sunlight never reaches, and ice (and organic material) has collected there over the millennia. Hard to imagine ice on a planet where daytime temperatures can melt lead, but there's pretty good evidence for it. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/messenger/media/PressConf20121129.html Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Andrewwhyte 1 #2 November 30, 2012 So does that mean there is an habitable zone on Mercury? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Coreece 190 #3 November 30, 2012 Wow...who would've taken that bet?Your secrets are the true reflection of who you really are... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
quade 3 #4 November 30, 2012 Quote . . . on Mercury. Pretty cool. Was that a joke?quade - The World's Most Boring Skydiver Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AggieDave 6 #5 December 1, 2012 Quote . . . on Mercury. Pretty cool. There are craters at the poles where sunlight never reaches, and ice (and organic material) has collected there over the millennia. Hard to imagine ice on a planet where daytime temperatures can melt lead, but there's pretty good evidence for it. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/messenger/media/PressConf20121129.html Guess we need to send a mission with a large quantity of whiskey to make use of all that ice!--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
akarunway 1 #6 December 1, 2012 Quote . . . on Mercury. Pretty cool. There are craters at the poles where sunlight never reaches, and ice (and organic material) has collected there over the millennia. Hard to imagine ice on a planet where daytime temperatures can melt lead, but there's pretty good evidence for it. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/messenger/media/PressConf20121129.html Si. I guess the cat has cold feet? I hold it true, whate'er befall; I feel it, when I sorrow most; 'Tis better to have loved and lost Than never to have loved at all. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
billvon 2,426 #7 December 1, 2012 >So does that mean there is an habitable zone on Mercury? In terms of temperature - yes. But that zone would move throughout the year. There's no atmosphere to speak of though. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AggieDave 6 #8 December 1, 2012 QuoteThere's no atmosphere to speak of though. Same with L.A. and yet people still live there...--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline." Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airtwardo 6 #9 December 1, 2012 QuoteQuoteThere's no atmosphere to speak of though. Same with L.A. and yet people still live there... just gotta remember to chew your air.... ~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
diablopilot 2 #10 December 1, 2012 QuoteQuoteQuoteThere's no atmosphere to speak of though. Same with L.A. and yet people still live there... just gotta remember to chew your air.... I think he was referring to the personalities.---------------------------------------------- You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnMitchell 14 #11 December 1, 2012 Quote . . . on Mercury. Pretty cool. There are craters at the poles where sunlight never reaches, and ice (and organic material) has collected there over the millennia. Mercury Lander Mission, anyone? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
riddler 0 #12 December 2, 2012 I love the rhetoric some scientists use to try to get their point across. I read one that said something like if it covered an area the size of Washington, D.C., it would be two miles thick! Well, I've been to D.C., and it ain't that geographically large. Adding up all the ice on an entire planet and giving it, relatively, a pinhead of spatial reference is kinda silly. But I do think it's neat that a planet that close to the sun has ANY ice. I just think it needs to be taken in the correct context. With some available water there, we could certainly find uses for it with robotic explorations.Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
devildog 0 #13 December 2, 2012 Quote This is because Mercury doesn't rotate. The same side always faces the sun. I do believe it would have to rotate for the latter to be true You stop breathing for a few minutes and everyone jumps to conclusions. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
davjohns 1 #14 December 2, 2012 Billions of tons of ice discovered . . . When you find billions of tons of Margarita mix and Jose Cuervo, let me know. I know it just wouldnt be right to kill all the stupid people that we meet.. But do you think it would be appropriate to just remove all of the warning labels and let nature take its course. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airtwardo 6 #15 December 2, 2012 What does ice on Mercury mean? It means people could GO there. If you have water, you have it all...oxygen, the ability to grow food, something to drink, the very keys to survival on a hostile planet. Science fiction writers will come out of the woodwork with this one, guaranteed. Not if the 'ice' is frozen carbon dioxide like on Mars...unless the aliens are packin' fish for shipment & making bottle bombs to pass the time I doubt life as we know it could thrive for long on dry-ice. ~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Coreece 190 #16 December 2, 2012 Quote What does ice on Mercury mean? It means people could GO there. If you have water, you have it all...oxygen, the ability to grow food, something to drink, the very keys to survival on a hostile planet. Science fiction writers will come out of the woodwork with this one, guaranteed. Seems like you already have...Your secrets are the true reflection of who you really are... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
riddler 0 #17 December 2, 2012 QuoteNot if the 'ice' is frozen carbon dioxide like on Mars The reports are saying frozen H2O.Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airtwardo 6 #18 December 2, 2012 Quote Quote Not if the 'ice' is frozen carbon dioxide like on Mars The reports are saying frozen H2O. I'll believe it when I see 'Arrowhead' set up a bottling plant there! ~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Erroll 49 #19 December 2, 2012 Quote Quote Quote Not if the 'ice' is frozen carbon dioxide like on Mars The reports are saying frozen H2O. I'll believe it when I see 'Arrowhead' set up a bottling plant there! Wouldn't that be outsourcing? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JohnMitchell 14 #20 December 2, 2012 Have they found or do they just suspect there's ice in craters near the poles of the moon? Which would make habitation much easier. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airtwardo 6 #21 December 2, 2012 Quote Quote Quote Quote Not if the 'ice' is frozen carbon dioxide like on Mars The reports are saying frozen H2O. I'll believe it when I see 'Arrowhead' set up a bottling plant there! Wouldn't that be outsourcing? Depends on who throws a flag up there 1st! ~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ryoder 1,397 #22 December 2, 2012 Quote I read one that said something like if it covered an area the size of Washington, D.C., it would be two miles thick! That could be the best use of ice I've heard in years."There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
airtwardo 6 #23 December 2, 2012 Quote Quote I read one that said something like if it covered an area the size of Washington, D.C., it would be two miles thick! That could be the best use of ice I've heard in years. Wouldn't stick...too much hot air there. ~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~ Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wolfriverjoe 1,351 #24 December 2, 2012 QuoteQuote . . . on Mercury. Pretty cool. There are craters at the poles where sunlight never reaches, and ice (and organic material) has collected there over the millennia. Hard to imagine ice on a planet where daytime temperatures can melt lead, but there's pretty good evidence for it. http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/messenger/media/PressConf20121129.html This is because Mercury doesn't rotate. The same side always faces the sun. Kind of like that Hot Side, Cold Side sandwich McDonald's used to sell. I hated it when they dropped that burger from the menu. What does ice on Mercury mean? It means people could GO there. If you have water, you have it all...oxygen, the ability to grow food, something to drink, the very keys to survival on a hostile planet. Science fiction writers will come out of the woodwork with this one, guaranteed. Umm... No. http://cseligman.com/text/planets/mercuryrot.htm Isaac Asimov wrote the "Lucky Starr" books back before this was discovered. When I read the re-released versions in the seventies, the one about Mercury had a preface that basically said "The orbital information is incorrect. But becuase it was so central to the story, I couldn't fix it without destroying the whole thing. Sorry, enjoy it anyway." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucky_Starr_and_the_Big_Sun_of_Mercury"There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
riddler 0 #25 December 3, 2012 QuoteI'll believe it when I see 'Arrowhead' set up a bottling plant there! Considering how much people pay for bottled water, this may be the way to get the space exploration program moving forward.Trapped on the surface of a sphere. XKCD Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
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