Boerseun Posted February 6, 2006 Report Share Posted February 6, 2006 Actually not altogether such a bad idea. If there's life on Mars, it will most likely be microbial. And if you go fishin', you need some bait, right? Take a cut of beef and chuck it on the surface of Mars, and keep a close watch on it for a few weeks to see if there's any signs of microbial activity. Obviously, the meat should be sterilized and all microbes removed prior to launch. This is not to say that if there is life, it will have a taste for beef, though - I just think any inexplicable discolouration or any other anomaly might indicate something... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabe Bixler Posted February 6, 2006 Report Share Posted February 6, 2006 Actually not altogether such a bad idea. If there's life on Mars, it will most likely be microbial. And if you go fishin', you need some bait, right? Take a cut of beef and chuck it on the surface of Mars, and keep a close watch on it for a few weeks to see if there's any signs of microbial activity. Obviously, the meat should be sterilized and all microbes removed prior to launch. This is not to say that if there is life, it will have a taste for beef, though - I just think any inexplicable discolouration or any other anomaly might indicate something... exactly, and if it turns out there is no life activity on mars the mixture of trash and dead animal is likely to stir something up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InfiniteNow Posted February 6, 2006 Report Share Posted February 6, 2006 exactly, and if it turns out there is no life activity on mars the mixture of trash and dead animal is likely to stir something up.Just because one version of microbial life here on Earth has taken advantage of human trash and or the killing of animals by other animals, in no way means that microbial life on Mars (or, elsewhere for that matter) will have done the same. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabe Bixler Posted February 6, 2006 Report Share Posted February 6, 2006 Just because one version of microbial life here on Earth has taken advantage of human trash and or the killing of animals by other animals, in no way means that microbial life on Mars (or, elsewhere for that matter) will have done the same.So, if it works, then it works. If it doesn't, its no real loss. I fail to see an argument against this idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay-qu Posted February 6, 2006 Report Share Posted February 6, 2006 So, if it works, then it works. If it doesn't, its no real loss. I fail to see an argument against this idea.space missions have a very limited payload, it may not seem like much extra but what is now dead animal and other waste could have been other possibly more important instruments. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InfiniteNow Posted February 6, 2006 Report Share Posted February 6, 2006 So, if it works, then it works. If it doesn't, its no real loss. I fail to see an argument against this idea.Litter, in all it's manifestations here on Earth, has only done harm. The whole idea of Terraforming Mars (as is the subject of this thread) is motivated by our need to escape our own destruction. Why would we litter on Mars if it's preciselly this mentality which is supporting the need to leave Earth? I am thinking that Boerseun was kidding when the suggestion was made (of course, might be mistaken), but now that you are supporting it, I point out the above. EDIT: Original suggestion made by Gabe Bixler. Actually my point fully directed at Gabe considering this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabe Bixler Posted February 6, 2006 Report Share Posted February 6, 2006 Litter, in all it's manifestations here on Earth, has only done harm. The whole idea of Terraforming Mars (as is the subject of this thread) is motivated by our need to escape our own destruction. Why would we litter on Mars if it's preciselly this mentality which is supporting the need to leave Earth? I am thinking that Boerseun was kidding when the suggestion was made (of course, might be mistaken), but now that you are supporting it, I point out the above. EDIT: Original suggestion made by Gabe Bixler. Actually my point fully directed at Gabe considering this. i thought this thread was about coming up with ideas to terraform mars. this is an idea to generate life on a lifeless planet. not an idea to shoot all of our trash onto mars. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pgrmdave Posted February 6, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2006 Does anybody know what the soil composition of Mars tends to be? Could plants grow in it, or would it need more nutrients? Maybe the idea of putting 'trash' on mars is a good idea, using the trash as fertilizer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InfiniteNow Posted February 6, 2006 Report Share Posted February 6, 2006 i thought this thread was about coming up with ideas to terraform mars. this is an idea to generate life on a lifeless planet. not an idea to shoot all of our trash onto mars.I did cross ideas in this thread with another. I concede that, and mispoke when I went on the "we've ****ed up Earth, why do it again" bandwagon. However, I stand by my point that litter is litter and is bad (and if it's fertilizer, it's no longer litter, but a useful recycling of product). To place something like rotten beef on Mars would only implant microbes of our own, and would be more of a study on their ability to survive another planet than to see what previously existed on that planet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabe Bixler Posted February 7, 2006 Report Share Posted February 7, 2006 I did cross ideas in this thread with another. I concede that, and mispoke when I went on the "we've ****ed up Earth, why do it again" bandwagon. However, I stand by my point that litter is litter and is bad (and if it's fertilizer, it's no longer litter, but a useful recycling of product). To place something like rotten beef on Mars would only implant microbes of our own, and would be more of a study on their ability to survive another planet than to see what previously existed on that planet. I'll revise my original statement. When I say trash I don't mean things like plastic bottles and other non biodegradable things you might find in a land fill, i'm mainly talking about things like compost. I myself do not believe that there is any life on mars and i think the only way it would get there is if humans put it there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InfiniteNow Posted February 7, 2006 Report Share Posted February 7, 2006 I'll revise my original statement. When I say trash I don't mean things like plastic bottles and other non biodegradable things you might find in a land fill, i'm mainly talking about things like compost. I myself do not believe that there is any life on mars and i think the only way it would get there is if humans put it there.I reference again Post #20 Regardless of your belief on the existence/nonexistence of life on Mars, biodegredation itself is the result of microbes which have evolved here a very particular process of using the waste and transforming it. Just because a banana peel biodegrades here on Earth does not mean the same thing will happen up on Big Red, even if there are little Martian microbes to munch away at man's various messes.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jay-qu Posted February 7, 2006 Report Share Posted February 7, 2006 Does anybody know what the soil composition of Mars tends to be? Could plants grow in it, or would it need more nutrients? Maybe the idea of putting 'trash' on mars is a good idea, using the trash as fertilizer. Like Boerseun said the soil contains a large amount of metal oxides and thats what gives it the red/orange colour. From what I remember oxides that produce that colour are Iron(III) oxide and copper(I) oxide. There is probably more but I have no idea of them - try googling 'mars soil composition' :Waldo: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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