Old :x

Looks like we still are.

unless you're really talking aboutThis

How...do they call it Earth-like when they say the atmosphere is thin, it's sevral times smaller than Pluto, and the surface is scorching hot?

Because it has a rocky surface. Mars is technically classed as an 'Earth-like planet', even though it's completely incapable of supporting life.

Im sure lots of planets have rocks on them. Hell the MOON has rocks. Does that mean the moon is Earth like?

That's true, but mars has alot of other similarities - about the same size, there's an atmosphere (though most of it dissipated) and there was once alot of water there.

All of your statements about Mars are complete conjecture.

Atmosphere + Rocky surface = Earth-like. No matter how thin that atmosphere may be, or how molten the rock surface may be.

Besides, we haven't actually discovered a planet more Earth-like than Mars, so we don't exactly have a standard from which to say "Earth-like".

Edit: To quantify my statement:

Mars has a mass of .708e21 tons. Earth has a mass of 6.58e21 tons. Earth is about 9.3 times the mass of Mars. The planet described in the first link is around 14 times the mass of Earth. It's no less Earth-like than Mars is.

Mars' atmospheric density is 0.020 kg/m^3. Compared to Earth's atmospheric density of 1.23 kg/m^3. Earth has an atmospheric pressure of around 169 times that of Mars. Additionally, there is no evidence to indicate that Mars once held an atmosphere of greater pressure. In fact the greatest two contributors to the formation of a planetary atmosphere appear to begravity and a low temperature. Mars has the latter but is completely lacking in the former, thus its low pressure.

As for water, even the scant traces of it on Mars are difficult to detect from this far away. There might be some on the planet we detected, but not enough to support any macrobiological/multicellular life.

It's been a while since I remember talking about this, but doesn't Mars have ice caps, that are quite visible via our telescopes?

The planet cannot support life as we know it. That doesn't mean it cannot support life. The bottom of the pacific ocean cannot support human life, that doesn't mean it cannot support any life. Those could be ideal living conditions for something.

Thats it...thank you

http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/space/04/30/giant.planet.ap/index.html

I thought that was frozen carbon dioxide.

If I remember correctly, the northern polar cap is mostly water ice, while the southern one is mostly carbon dioxide... though this may just be from the Mars Trilogy.

I thought they were both ice which contained some carbon dioxide