[an0n]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/3577551.stm

Volcanoes are good enough, because it means we could tap the geothermals. But microbes would be friggin awesome.

[Sandwich]

Coolness

[Nico]

Well, microbes would be cool because of life on Mars and stuff, but honestly, bof, we already know t could have life, so it's not such a big deal to me. Volcanoes, on the other hand, I think that could be useful to us, as An0n said.

[an0n]

Hmmm. , the mere presence of methane is good. Because we could filter it from the air and use it as fuel.

[Nico]

Hmm, dunno, depends of the amount really. If it were volcanic activity, tho, imagine, that means it's probably underground, otherwise it would have been found already I believe. That means there might be huge caves filled with methane. Now THAT would be cool and interesting.

[Sandwich]

Originally posted by an0n
Hmmm. , the mere presence of methane is good. Because we could filter it from the air and use it as fuel.

...or we could just hook up methane catching bags to cows' mouths to get the methane from their burps.

Or was it the other end of the cow that expelled methane?

[kasperl]

the other end.

you'd never geuss how many farms went up in flames because of a smoking vet examing a cow with "digestion issues".


anyway, i think an0n meant fuel for the guys on Mars, not down here

[aldo_14]

A cow farts enough methane in a year to inflate a hot air baloon, apparently.

[Nico]

and pigs crap to run a city, according to madmax3

[Crazy_Ivan80]

Originally posted by aldo_14
A cow farts enough methane in a year to inflate a hot air baloon, apparently.

hehehe, if I was any good with photoshop you'd see a funny pic here instead of some text...

[Flaser]

Though the thing I don't know why people tend to forget is that propan and buthana - and I pretty much think methane too - have no smell at all.

It's the merkaptanes that are artificially added to the mixture which you can smell when you open the gas vent. Which were added to make it apparent and detectable.

[jdjtcagle]

This almost proves there are methanogens living there, but it still a limited chance there are:)

[an0n]

I hope to ****ing GOD that it is life and not volcanoes. For a start, it'd kill the odds of intelligent life being out there by a factor of like 1000, which would make the bookies and insurance firms with alien abduction stuff on their books start crapping their pants.

And then there's the added bonus of it being indigenous life. Which means no-one would be allowed to send a manned mission without the approval of the UN, and that means no "I claim this planet in the name of America".

[Martinus]

[color=66ff00]I thought that planet claiming was a no go, didn't they create some kinda rule just prior to landing on the moon that said no country can claim a celestial body/planet/whatever?

If not I claim the sun in the name of Ireland.
[/color]

[Gank]

Claiming it? They're actually selling it
http://www.buy-moon-property.com/

[Grey Wolf]

Originally posted by Maeglamor
[color=66ff00]I thought that planet claiming was a no go, didn't they create some kinda rule just prior to landing on the moon that said no country can claim a celestial body/planet/whatever?

If not I claim the sun in the name of Ireland.
[/color]

Yep. Some random Cold War era treaty. One we haven't pulled out of yet, even.

[Knight Templar]

Shame, that.

[phreak]

private entities such as buisinesses and individuals are able to buy territories, but governments aren't.

[an0n]

They should start establishing some protocol and Martian Law for when they do start shipping people off. Like an owner-ship permiter that gives control of the land for X number of miles around any base, installation or outpost to whomever controls that structure.

And a "betterment of Mars" law so no-one can land on and exploit whatever natural resources Mars has unless they'e shipping **** off to everyone else fairly.

[phreak]

i don't think shipping resources between planets would be that economical until you have ships that can approach a fraction of C that can be easily expressed (like .0001).  Most anything we find on mars (resource wise) is going to stay there.  unless you want to wait 2yrs for a shipment of iron ore that would be more cheaply mined from asteroids.