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[MonkeyHead]

The best 2 I can think of are as follows:

1) NASA comissions a craft from Lockheed Martin (Mars Climate Orbiter) to perform atmospheric measurements from Martian Orbit. It is built in such a way so its command and control systems work on Imperial Units, ten years after NASA switched to the metric system. Lockheed Martain fail to tell NASA of this, who assume it is built to work on metric units, as per standard protocol. A system of checks and balances fail to detect the problem. Unsuprisingly the craft is lost when it approaches the planet far too close when establishing an orbit, which decays as the craft enters the Martian atmosphere. Linky!

2) The Venera 14 lander (USSR Venus missions) somehow managed to make an epic fail when mking measurements of soil density: it had a spung loaded arm designed to burrow into the Venusian soil and measure its compressability. Alas, the sprung arm managed to land into the quartz crystal camera lens cap that was detached moments before to take pictures of the surface. Linky!

Spoiler: A picture of the sprung arm fail can be found here, on the right hand image, the rear of the craft. Quality is great considering its an image from Venus in the 70's taken by a Soviet probe being slowly boiled and crushed.
(click to show/hide)

[Scoops Novel]

What the hell is this? nbcnews.to/10ppUMS, and yes there are multiple sources.

Complementary: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=nry5z8zaJ9o&NR=1

[MetalSlimeHunt]

Well, that's....nonspecific.

Curiosity's instruments have also determined that normal radiation on Mars is not sufficient to harm humans.

[Scoops Novel]

Okay, so it's almost definitely hard proof of something. If it was Advanced Aliens, they wouldn't tell us, and if it was proof of life they would probably check this long. Or perhaps it is life? Or maybe an ancient rosetta stone... or a new element which is also life... or... best yet, life they could synthesize on earth.

[Sirus]

That's...a bit of a leap. For all we know Curiosity just found some specks of gold or something equally nifty-but-useless.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

Don't you tell me what's a leap, you magic space aliens covering up guy.

[Scoops Novel]

Le Jokes . It's something important though. We can establish that.

[Sirus]

Don't you tell me what's a leap, you magic space aliens covering up guy.

Riiiiight, I'm covering up space aliens.

On another note, could you look at this, please?

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

[MonkeyHead]

Most probably simple organic molecules. Anything complex would be astounding.

[Scoops Novel]

A planet called MakeMake with no atmosphere? Yep, thats where the dwarf's are, lurking in their fortresses with their so and so beer laced mushroom made heatbox, sharpening their beards as they delicately destroy our technology. It's all a lie i tell you!

[MaximumZero]

Apparently, results will be released in early December. Just in time for the end of the world!

[Haspen]

Mid-November: Curiosity finds PROOF.
Early December: PROOF leak from NASA HQ
20th December: Aliens from Mars learn about the leak, get pissed, blow up earth.

Conclusion: MAYANS!

Fits perfectly, imho

[Scoops Novel]

Actually, if we discovered fossil proof of alien life, how much would we able to know about it through curiosity? And how far are we off synthesizing it?

[10ebbor10]

Actually, if we discovered fossil proof of alien life, how much would we able to know about it through curiosity? And how far are we off synthesizing it?

Not that much. It's main components, maybe nothing more.

As for synthesizing. Quite a bit further than we're from cloning dinosaurs.

[Scoops Novel]

On that note, how's the mammoth project going? I hear they've managed to create a blood sample akin to have being freshly drawn. Alright, speculation aside , what would the effects be if we have conclusive proof of the existence of life of mars once? I imagine everyone even vaguely interested in space will dance, but what about the world in general?