Dr. Skeptic wrote:
I would need to write a book to cover all the errors in you facts, logic and false assumptions, so I'll pick one.
Yes, let's address the issue of assumptions. OF course, you are making the first mistake of associating the results of numerous techical papers by reputable researchers with me, and then simply ignoring them so they will go away, but that is another issue. Assumptions first.
Dr. Skeptic wrote:
So if I put out a glass of H2O on the surface of Mars it would not evaporate?
It all depends on the temperature of the water, obviously.
If I have a cup of water at room temperature and I place it in a vacuum chamber and remove most or all of the air, it will certainly boil. The key here is room temperature.
If I have that same cup of water and it is raised to 77° C (or about 170° F) and carry it to the peak of Everest, it will boil. Or put another way, water at that temperature cannot exist long on top of Mt. Everest.
Now, by direct experimentation, we see that the triple point for water at 6.1 millibars is 0.01° C, and that means that if the atmospheric pressure is greater than 6.1 mb, then water can exist as a liquid. But there is more. In a quote from the paper by Dr. Gil Levin, we see:
A word is in order about the applicability to liquid water on Mars of the triple point of water and Dalton’s Law of Partial Pressures lest they be applied incorrectly. The 6.1 mb pressure and 0.01° C temperature phase diagram coordinates identifying the triple point were determined for water as a closed, single component system, and in a pure state (that is, no substances other than water are present). On Mars, water exists in an open, multi-component system with atmospheric gases and extensive soil solutes. However, the laws of physics dictate that, when the atmosphere is saturated with water vapor, no net evaporation takes place. Under these conditions, when the temperature is between 0° C and the boiling point, and the total atmospheric pressure is at or above 6.1 mb, any water in the soil will be present in liquid form
The entire paper is here:
http://mars.spherix.com/spie2/spie98.htm
The IAU defines zero elevation for Mars thus:
Zero elevation: Since Mars has no oceans and hence no 'sea level', a zero-elevation surface or mean gravity surface must be selected. The datum for Mars is defined by the fourth-degree and fourth-order spherical harmonic gravity field, with the zero altitude defined by the 610.5 Pa (6.105 mbar) atmospheric pressure surface (approximately 0.6% of Earth's) at a temperature of 273.16 K. This pressure and temperature correspond to the triple point of water.
Now, it is a fact that at the altitude of Meridiani (which is a couple of kilometers below zero elevation), the atmospheric pressure is typically 7.5 millibars and even reaches as high as about 11 millibars when summer arrives. The boiling point of water can range to as much as 10° C or 50°F during the course of the year, and rarely drops as low as the triple point. So a cup of chilled water
will not boil nor can it, due to the laws of physics.
The assumption you have made is a simple one- room temperature. Your experience is such that you only imagined a cup of water at your familiar room temperature, which clearly cannot exist on the surface of Mars because it is above the boiling point. Chilled water can exist easily, however. Now let's also add the salts that are present in the soil and suddenly we have a range that is at least 30 degrees C wide for the existance of liquid water on the surface. That range changes seasonally but Meridiani is below zero elevation and as such liquid can remain as long as the temperatures permit.
Dr. Skeptic wrote:
It would boil, freeze and evaporate away exactly the way dry-ice (CO2) does in the Earth's atmosphere (sublimation), no matter how many salts are in it.
Sorry, I have just proven you wrong. Be man enough to admit it. You are the one who made unwarranted assumptions. Physics dictates that liquid water can exist on Mars in the Meridiani Planum area, and that has been demonstrated amply by many scientists. You are simply refusing to admit this fact.
Dr. Skeptic wrote:
What is the humidity in your freezer, have you ever noticed you ice cubes getting smaller?
Yes, it is called sublimation and it is driven by the introduction of dry, chilled air and advection. Freezers these days are typically "frost free". Do you know why?
Dr. Skeptic wrote:
You maybe able to fool the ignorant with you pseudoscience, but your logic is offencive to the educated. Every one of your arguments is given a pseudo spin, half truths, false assumption, and a product of an overly active imagination.
I am not trying to fool anyone. I am presenting the facts. Your lack of understanding and refusal to accept the truth is the problem. What makes you so unhappy is the fact that you cannot find a single flaw in my material or reasoning, and that is why you resort to insults. My findings are solid, and they violate your picture of reality. I will not apologize for the facts.
Dr. Skeptic wrote:
If you want to show me proof, show me an ecosystem.
I am limited to what the rovers can image, and what images are released. However, I did present images of fossilized leaves, along with the literally hundreds of fossil organisms on my site. It is a shame that the rovers have no manipulators, no water sensors, no chemical sensors, no halogen lamp for spectral reference, no soil moisture sensors... yet, they have returned a wealth of information. The images and the APXS data, along with the mini-TES data, have proven very useful.
Dr. Skeptic wrote:
I want to see evidence of organic compounds coating the rocks this life would feed from or other residual compounds that could only be created by presents of life
I would love for the rovers to have had organic sensors. Too bad that these were considered unimportant. But at least the pyrolitic release experiments on Viking found 7 of 9 soil samples had organic matter. That is a good positive indicator. Also too bad that NASA pretty much ignores that data.
Dr. Skeptic wrote:
If you were a real scientist you would know that your theory is a gross over statement of the available evidence.
If
you were a scientist, you would realize that you have failed to admit that you have been proven wrong numerous times now. Two such issues were the presence of sodium and carbon in the soil of Mars. Another is the fact that liquid water can exist at Meridiani. I have made my living as a "real" scientist for years. Your opinions really don't mean much to me in the face of the facts.
Have a nice day.