Who says photosynthesis cannot occur on Mars? Ice algae sequestered in ice bergs survive just fine inside solid ice. Lypholyzed bacteria have been found to be still viable after 2.5 million years in salt. Why do you think astrobiologists are interested in continuing the search for life on Mars? There are enough doubts about life on Mars for the ESA to be sending Beagle 2. Also, NASA is finally considering sending a life science lander in 2003. Is this is a waste of time to you? You already know about life on Mars absolutely? Show us your results!

You know who Drs. David McKay and David Warmflash are hopefully? They have published at the last LPI and SPIE that the Viking LR results could indeed be the results of microbial metabolism. This only ticks you off I know cause you have been such a professional heckler of Levin and company.

If you did your homework on previous Mars spacecraft missions or if you read Dr. Levin's article without prejudgment, you would realize that a blue filter has never been included on any Mars mission, except Odyssey. Closest they got was violet synthesized from red and green - this resulted in the famous brick red images you defended for years as being the genuine color of Mars. Seems odd that probes to all the other planets had color cameras with blue filters included. You create true color images by using primary color filters of Red, Blue and Green. Basic color imaging stuff you learn as a photographer.

Any astrobiologist would tell you how important color is for determining whether biological processes are going on with Mars. Since NASA and Hubble imaging teams admitted two years ago that the brick red color of Mars has been wrong all these years, you think there would be enough scientific interest to add a simple blue filter to find out. Well, the Beagle 2 stereo cameras and microscope are equipped with red, green and blues filters and we should finally get to see what the true colors of Mars really are.

It looks like the Odyssey image also used a violet (instead of blue) filter.

BD