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From: cramer@kontron.UUCP (Clayton Cramer)
Newsgroups: sci.space
Subject: Re: Sorry Henry, There **is** proof on Martian surface chemical composition.
Message-ID: <1181@kontron.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 5-Nov-86 20:15:33 EST
Article-I.D.: kontron.1181
Posted: Wed Nov  5 20:15:33 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 6-Nov-86 20:55:08 EST
References: <8610310817.AA15131@s1-b.arpa> <7276@utzoo.UUCP>
Organization: Kontron Electronics, Mt. View, CA
Lines: 31

> > In Vol. 7, Nr. 29 of Space Digest, Henry Spencer claimed that the
> > existence of **all** the elements on Mars necessary for life and the
> > industrial development of Mars is unproven...
> 
> > All of the elements necessary to support life exist on Mars.  However
> > based on this evidence, Mars does lack some elements necessary for
> > human health and those are:  Iodine and Phosphorus...
> 
> Based on this evidence, it lacks quite a few in fact.  A surprising number
> of elements are needed for human health, albeit many of them only in trace
> quantities.  The percentage of cobalt, for example, in the human body is
> minute... but no cobalt equals no vitamin B12 equals death from pernicious
> [?] anemia.
> 
> > The extreme richness in iron is particularly exciting...
> 
> A fair bit of iron, yes, but I wouldn't call it "extreme richness", not
> when comparing it to things like nickel-iron asteroids.
> 

I hate to be nitpicker, but it most unlikely that cobalt would be lacking
if iron was present, since the chemical processes involved are extremely
similar.  Consider also that Mars shows considerable evidence of cratering,
and since nickel-iron meteors are in fact iron-nickel-cobalt meteors, I
would be shocked out of my wits if Mars doesn't have significant quantities
of cobalt.

> 				Henry Spencer @ U of Toronto Zoology
> 				{allegra,ihnp4,decvax,pyramid}!utzoo!henry

Clayton E. Cramer