Water *ON* Mars now (albeit not for long).

NASA new conference called for 1pm EST December 6th.

        http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.nl.html?pid=21406

The "leak"* (from Aviation Week)(aka Aviation Leak) is that

        "NASA is ready to announce major new findings about
        the presence of water currently emerging onto the surface of 
Mars.
...
        If confirmed, this would increase the possibility that 
microbial
        life could have existed recently or possibly exists now on the
        Martian surface.

Surface water will sublime almost instantly due to the extremely low 
surface pressure, but its proven existence has major implications. 
Apart from the obvious usefulness of water as water for human use it 
may make an easier path to fuel synthesis for Mars return missions 
than currently proposed alternatives based on known available 
materials and Oxygen sources are "always useful" in such an 
environment.

What I like is the way we have gone in a decade or so from "no water 
on Mars for millions of years" through "signs of more recent outbreaks 
but not for millenia" through "signs of massive sub'terranean' 
reservoirs"  to  "Water *on* Mars!"
We'll see.

A fitting epitaph for the recently and quite probably permanently dead 
Mars Global Surveyor, which will have been what provided the latest 
evidence. Presumably they have had this information for 'some while' 
and now was deemed an auspicious time to announce it.




        Russell McMahon


Here's what they were saying 6+ years ago

        http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/solarsystem/mars_water_000620.html


* pun almost intended. 

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