Water on Mars - Chasing Phantoms

In the last decade there has been a lot of hype about water on Mars. The latest evidence is still very inconclusive and really points out the religious zeal with which scientists are pursuing  the idea that there actually is water on Mars. Part of the reason they want to prove it is that they want there to be some sort of proof of the possibility of life on other planets. Why? Mars resembles Earth and Earth conditions more than any other planet in the solar system. Supposedly, only the Earth is at the right distance from the sun to benefit from a combination of conditions that allowed life to form and for animals, plants and people to evolve.

For Creationists and Bible believers, proving evolution by sending expensive probes to other planets is adverse to rational thinking. When you look at the facts, both Creationism and evolution take faith to believe in, and it is easy to see the blind pursuit with which evolutionists go about proving their theories. Both theories stem from a biased set of assumptions that can not be conclusively confirmed or denied. However, the facts support Creationism and in when it comes to evolution, facts are constantly being re-evaluated to verify the veracity of evolution. Take the geologic layer that is presented as proof of the evolutionary time scale. Why isn't it consistent all across the planet? However, the layering of material, (animals, plants, rock and dirt), found all over the world is consistent with a world wide flood. Now, I can go on and on about this and still never receive vindication, and I do not have the scientific background to defend Creationism before someone outguns me. One person who can reasonable and logically argue for Creationism is Kent Hovind. Before making any assumptions about him, it would be wise to watch one of his programs. If one puts away their bias and watches with the idea that Creationism is a valid theory, (and it is), then you will likely learn something and question the validity and logic of evolution.

Why delve into evolution and Creationism when mentioning water on Mars? Simply because it is obvious that the search for water is driven by the need to find any kind of evidence of life outside of Earth. First of all, it is ridiculous to assume that we might find life in our solar system when so many variables are needed for life to form according to the theory of evolution. Mars does have the closest atmosphere and gravity and temperatures needed compared to other planets here. But it is obvious that there is no evidence of life on the surface. No animal tracks, no cities, no microbes - except the ones supposedly found in Antarctica on a piece of rock someone decided might have come from Mars at some point in history - and might contain what can possibly be construed as theoretical nano-bacteria. Can anyone say "far fetched"? Researchers are still arguing about whether these possible fossilized remains that might be theoretical nano-bacteria are actually indigenous to the rock or contaminants from the Antarctic region that entered it after it fell from the sky. It might be prudent to mention that an experiment was conducted to prove whether or not bacteria could survive reentry and were strapped to the heat shield of a returning space craft, and can you believe it? They didn't! This of course has more to do with the idea of panspermia - that life evolved on Earth from microbes of extraterrestrial origin. And this is why we are spending billions of dollars on programs to find water or even evidence of water on Mars.

They are so obsessed with the idea of proving life being able to exist on Mars via water, that all assumptions are made with bias towards the evidence of water. Such as the ice uncovered by the Phoenix dirt scoop. It could possibly be frozen water, but it could be something else. On a planet with a completely different kind of soil and atmosphere, it is unscientific to focus only on the possibility of water. It is possible the ice is something else, but only arguments are given for why it is water, and any questions that challenge that assumption are quickly brushed aside with the idea that nothing else can form into a frozen solid state on Mars and turn to vapor so quickly. Is that so? With an atmosphere composed mostly of carbon dioxide which sublimes into gas at -78 degrees Celsius, why is it not possible to assume that it is actually carbon dioxide that is found underneath the soil when Martian temperatures swing from -87 degrees Celsius to -5 degrees Celsius? Proponents of the water ice theory claim that if it was carbon dioxide, it wouldn't have disappeared in the way the ice supposedly vaporized.

Interesting to think that water ice first turns to liquid before vaporizing, and carbon dioxide in solid form, (also known as dry ice), does not have a liquid state. Is it not possible to assume that when exposed to direct sunlight, this elusive creature might heat up and fly away? After all, a large area that has been explored by removing soil has uncovered this same ice layer. Would it not be logical to assume that it is an element that makes up the most common part, (95.72%), of the Martian atmosphere? In severe contrast, oxygen only makes up .2%, (one fifth of a percent), and water makes up .03%, (three hundredths of a percent). This means that in the colder regions and climates on Mars, we can expect to find carbon dioxide ice hiding under rocks and dirt.

What we should be doing instead of looking for fleeting proof of water that might, might, point to evidence of life being able to possibly have evolved on Mars some time, is look for ways to use what really is there, and look at the feasibility of sustaining a long term human presence for the purpose of not just exploration, but also engaging in commerce and advancing technology and best of all, turning the elements of Mars into fuel for ships and constructing support facilities for the purpose of expansion elsewhere. Why bother at all? Growth is necessary for humanity to thrive. Both on the individual level and the national level. More than that, we may find things we can mine or even construct in a low gravity environment on Mars that may rival or even exceed what we can do on Earth.

It is great we are sending probes to other planets and learning so much, but the hyper sensationalism over the search for water needs to end, it is clouding true exploration and the reason we are out there in the first place. Atheists complain incessantly over the constant reminders of God in public and government and schools. Yet, they push their agenda of having no God at all in the same places, and it seems that the scientists who are the most influential in the solar exploration programs, are pushing their own evolution agenda, and doing so in the name of science, mindlessly and zealously seeking water to prove that life might have formed on Mars. So what? Some day we may dig deep enough and find an underwater lake on Mars with bacteria living in the wet dirt at the edges. Great, then we can study it, but hopefully without bias.

Our tax dollars should not be spent on proving the possibility of evolution, but rather once again be directed toward exploration and discovery which is great for advancing science and producing technological advancements. We should be about the business of lifting up the human spirit, glorifying God and educating ourselves. This process doesn't waste taxpayers' money like trying to prove atheism. Searching for evidence to prove we are nothing but monkeys or bacteria doesn't enlighten and doesn't help to build a better human race, it merely convinces people that all the beautiful things God has created for us are actually meant to be scorned and relegated to a trash heap. Most of all, let's keep space exploration scientific. Searching for water on a planet most likely to have it and most likely to be colonized first is wonderful, but to close one's eyes to everything else in that pursuit to the point of rejecting other knowledge gains is disingenuous, and a slap in the face to the citizens who sacrifice their hard earned dollars to that venture. Mars is beautiful, let's go there with open eyes, open minds and a spirit of learning more about the universe around us.