So what is brewing on Mars?

[Moonliner]

Originally Posted by Alex

Not very exciting but here's a de-hyped recounting of the situation from wonderful astronomy blogger Emily Lakdawala. Essentially it is the opposite of what was inferred from the initial Aviation Week story. Rather than being positive news about the posibility of life on Mars there is dispositive news suggesting that organic life may have been pretty unlikely.

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Actually this news has rather exciting potential. Oxidizers (like perchlorate) are a key component in solid rocket boosters and they can be used to produce oxygen. Two very useful things if you are looking to land people on the planet.

Of course I am assuming that NASA/JLP is smart enough that they are not detecting the residue from their own landing rockets.