Mr. David,

Regarding your recent Space.com article, "Mars: A Water World? Evidence Mounts, But Scientists Remain Tight-Lipped," February 29, 2004, its disappointing to see Mr. Gilbert Levin getting so "loose-lipped" over his non-discovery. His claim that Opportunity imagery "offers conclusive proof of standing liquid water and running water," is a gross exaggeration of what mission scientists have said about the potential explanations for characteristics of martion soil observed by the rover. That he arrives at such a grandiose conclusion ought to be evidence enough that the man isn't credible and doesn't deserve to be quoted on this subject. Its psuedoscience at best.

Mission scientists are diligently and carefully assembling and analyzing the data. Whatever conclusions they reach, the results will be exciting to hear. But I would not regard their unwillingness to publically speculate about what they've seen so far as an indication they favor one conclusion over another. Last week, when Dr. Dave Des Marais speculated about the possiblity of very minute amounts of liquid water creating brines that bind particles in the soils, some media outlets began proclaiming we'd found mud on Mars. Talk about exaggeration. He's been quiet ever since, perhaps hoping to avoid a repeat performance of this kind of journalistic excess.

My advice is to let the people who know what they are doing get on with their work and lets patiently await what they have to share. Lets not give people with loose-lips like Gil Levin a forum to hyper-ventilate about monuments on Mars. Perhaps tight-lips means real science is being made. I'll wait and let those tight-lips speak when they're darn good and ready.

Regards,
D.K.