XPost: sci.space.policy, sci.physics   
      
   In sci.physics Serigo  wrote:   
   > On 10/16/2016 7:17 PM, Fred J. McCall wrote:   
   >> jimp@specsol.spam.sux.com wrote:   
   >>   
   >>> In sci.physics Jeff Findley  wrote:   
   >>>> In article , jimp@specsol.spam.sux.com   
   >>>> says...   
   >>>>>   
   >   
   >>>>> Yes, just keep sending reactors until you have enough power, however   
   >>>>> that is not going to be cheap.   
   >>>>   
   >>>> Well, we've moved from "not possible" to "possible but not cheap".   
   >>>> Progress!   
   >>>>   
   >>>> Jeff   
   >>>   
   >>> Who said "not possible"?   
   >>>   
   >>> It certainly wasn't me.   
   >>>   
   >>   
   >> Yet that's the attitude everyone hears you having,   
   >   
   > you do not speak for everyone, you speak to yourself.   
   >   
   >>   
   >>>   
   >>> The closest thing to "not possible" I've said is that the following   
   >>> are unknowns on Mars.   
   >>>   
   >>> If water is available in quantity anywhere other than the poles.   
   >>>   
   >>   
   >> Not an unknown.  We know   
   >>.there are huge subsurface ice deposits   
   >> elsewhere than the poles.   
   >   
   > no, you dont know that.  it is only conjecture, not known.   
      
   The latest thing from NASA that I have seen confirms small, as in   
   handfull, amounts of subsurface water ice on Mars and they were making   
   a huge deal out of the discovery.   
      
   If anyone has seen anything confirming large amounts of water other   
   than at the poles I would like to see it.   
      
   >>> If there are concentrated usefull mineral deposits in general and   
   >>>   
   >>   
   >> Not an unknown.  We know there's hematite and other iron ores.   
   >   
   > Cite?  where is your hematite mine ?   
      
   I can find handfulls of just about anything in the local mountains.   
      
   That does not mean that there is enough concentration of anything   
   to be usefull.   
      
   > iron makes the planet red, but it is not know of any concentrated   
   > mineral deposits.   
      
   I would say that it is likely thay do exist, however that has not   
   been confirmed and obviously if they exist we don't know where they   
   are.   
      
   At this point they could be anywhere between a few meters and 10,000 km   
   from any planned Mars colony site.   
      
   >>> concentrated calcium deposits in particular as all the concentrated   
   >>> calcium deposits on Earth are the result of biology.   
   >>>   
   >>   
   >> Not an unknown.  Calcium concentrations and minerals such as dolomite   
   >> and marble are one of the indications on Mars that there was surface   
   >> water.   
   >   
   > Cite ?   
      
   Minor amounts of dolomite can be found just about anywhere on Earth   
   as calcium is the fifth most abundant element on the planet and hardly   
   a surprise on Mars.   
      
   The same can be said of marble.   
      
   Both can be formed in diffuse and scattered quantites by geologic   
   action alone.   
      
   The issue is large, highly concentrated amounts and those only come   
   from biological action, so if any large concentrated amounts of   
   calcium based minerals were found on Mars, the headlines would be   
   screaming about proof of previous life found on Mars.   
      
      
   --   
   Jim Pennino   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)