APOD Post from August 30th 2010: Comanche Outcrop on Mars Indicates Hospitable Past
I had always heard of fictional stories regarding "extraterrestrial life", some involving the heroic actions of a young adult Will Smith, and others not. Regardless of alien portrayal in Hollywood it is more interesting to realize that a planet in our solar system had a chance of housing life. The skepticism prior to the discovery of Comanche was that Mars was believed to have water in anceint times but that the water would be too acidic to sustain life. The reason why Comanche is so important is because it has a high concentrate of magnesium iron carbonate. Carbonates dissolve in acid. Thus, in this specific area there was a good chance of there being water pure enough to create and sustain life. This is the first real informational, understandable, down to earth (forgive the pun), scientific article I have read and fully grasped that explains the possibility if not probability of there being life on Mars at some point.
Pretty boss.
-Samuel
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