Hydrogen signals “from the Martian earth” indicate the presence of water, says Rough Guides. “The Lander uses a robotic shovel to dig into the Martian earth,” says Design News.
“Martian earth!” says Strong Language. “What th’??!!”
“Easy, SL,” says everybody else. “Didn’t you know that earth is another word for soil?”
“Oh, yeah?” say we. “So tell us: Did they name it for the planet, or the other way around? But then why didn’t they name the planet Soil, or Ground, or Dirt? Greetings, Dirtlings!”
Either way, when some of the stuff shows up 120 million miles away, wouldn’t you expect more than casual mention in a couple of niche mags?
SL is as confused as the next Earthling. How much earth is there on Mars, exactly? What about those other planets — do they have some? Is there a pile on the Moon? Most important, who (or what) is behind the caper?
Meanwhile, you’re in good hands. We’ll cover this issue even if the other media won’t touch it. Because if there’s any earth up there, Earth owns it. SL at its post.
