[X] My Assistant

[Stu]

Seriously, hasn't anyone else got any thoughts (dismissive or otherwise) on the "Have you briefed the President's Science Advisor?" (re MECA) question by C Covault? I am NOT going all woo-woo here, don't worry, I just thought it was an odd thing to ask... To my ears it sounded like C C was suggesting, subtly, to the panel that he had heard "something" about the MECA analysis and wanted them to comment. The question was brushed aside - rather uncomfortably I thought - and the discussion quickly moved on, but it seemed like a bit of a Moment to me. He actually began, if I remember correctly, by asking where the "MECA guys" were, asking if they had "been hidden under the table"... cue uncomfortable laughs from the panel...

Again, I have to stress, in case anyone thinks I'm 'suggesting' anything, I'm not getting all Muldur here, I was just struck by how out of the blue the question was, and wondered if anyone has any thoughts on it...

[nprev]

Can I call you by your decimal equivalent, "105"? (Cool username, BTW!)

One possibility that just occurred to me is that MECA may have found carbonates in abundance, though obviously they've been mixed rather well into the soil given that they haven't been detected from orbit.

[ilbasso]

Can I call you by your decimal equivalent, "105"? (Cool username, BTW!)

I think you should think in hexadecimal for the solution to the nickname. His avatar then makes sense too.

Edit: Sorry, I was slow on the uptake that you already got it. It has been a long week and I'm tired!!

[Aussie]

His avatar then makes sense too.

Hey, I had missed that.

Trouble is that this smart alec technique by Covault has already stirred up some expectations (and led to some some startling revelations on some of the more speculative forums). Dissatisfaction exists where outcomes don't meet expectations and I don't think Covault has done anyone any favours, particularly not the mission team.

[Paul Fjeld]

Covault is a real professional who has earned some very deep connections. He has a rep. He's not going to throw it away on some silly speculation.

I also know he is really keen on Mars and loved his time "embedded" with the MER team. I suspect his perhaps mischievous question at the press conference might have been a little tweak, but how should one ask that question knowing now what Craig was preparing for publication? (Personally, I thought Smith slapped him down a bit during one of the earlier conferences - and it sure didn't look like he enjoyed this question.)

As for the White House - of course NASA doesn't want them to read about really great discoveries in the newspapers. I thought, in government, your masters are >always< in the loop. Griffin should know what's coming down the pike, no? He'd need to tell his boss, just like he got told by his subordinates. Naiveté?? Ho, Ho! (yes)

I'm betting the news will be better than expected from this mission. Maybe the best news from any Mars mission so far. I'll say a 4 on a scale from 0 (ruddy dead moonlike) to 10 (there is a fossil). Water is a 3, actual real life: 500. Make your own scale!

EDIT: and by 4 I mean Mars can support Earth life at a chemical level. Still thinking about 5-9...

[djellison]

. I suspect his perhaps mischievous question at the press conference might have been a little tweak, but how should one ask that question knowing now what Craig was preparing for publication?

In private, after the press conf or by telephone. Not by raising a nightmare of almost certainly inappropriate speculation and hyperbole by being quite so smug and veiled. I like Craig, I like his articles, and I like the fact he'll take creations by people here and publish them. But I really don't like the way he's handled this. If nothing else, he's given us an admin headache.