Is there today anyone who has not heard about the "fabulous find"made on Mars by Curiosity? Two weeks about it sounded absolutely all media. Yes and as it was not to sound, if NASA own hand assured epochal importance of what happened?

on 21 November, in his official Twitter, Curiosity "personally" warned that soon have to rewrite the history books ("What I found? Rumors fly so fast! My team believes that this mission worthy of textbooks"). But the most interesting was not actually find, and then, as abruptly ended universal fever. And out of this tutorial it is a sin not to make some conclusions.

It all started on 20 November, when one of the members of the escort of the Rover in a conversation with journalists mentioned some stunning discovery made on the red planet. To tell more, he could not, as the findings required verification, but was unable to remain silent, too - probably due reigned in his emotions. The interlocutor immediately shared heard with readers, making the reasonable assumption that the opening is connected with the analyzer chemical composition of samples being tested at the moment on Curiosity. Then for the first time has sounded and a hint of historic significance of the findings: in the text flashed the word earthshaking (lit. landmark, is of paramount importance) is the later of the notes disappeared.

Realizing that the bird escaped from the cage, NASA the next day publishes his famous tweet (see above). Two weeks later it will become clear that the Agency was trying to do the accent on the word "mission", to prevent unjustified overestimation of expectations. But at that moment "mission" nobody noticed: warmed the audience saw a tweet of the Rover as a confirmation of the importance of the findings.

No, actually, NASA has long been no secret of their work. New space program, like Curiosity, generally covers almost in real time: on the official site, for example, are regularly published fresh selection of raw photos. Enjoy, if you wish. But still, for a hundred days of travel (see "Why America Mars?"), in spite of all its technical perfection, Curiosity and found nothing particularly interesting. So the press jumped at the imminent sensation as if a life-preserver, and away we go!

What was going on, otherwise, how crazy is difficult to say. Sites, forums, Newspapers, TV and radio stations: a wonderful discovery discussed and built assumptions about what it might be. One, who is close to science, just waited for a message about the detected organic compounds. But someone was waiting and microbes, fossilized dinosaur, green people.

NASA is in the process of boiling brain did not intervene, preferring to keep quiet. When waiting for the start inhaling the silence officials defused a funny saying, heard on Mars found plastic (it actually found there a little earlier, fallen away from the Rover pieces)! Personally, I realized the scale of the tragedy, when the ' wonderful Nakhodka on the red planet," I told my parents are pensioners.

It was the culmination, the peak. To satisfy the audience after this, it was necessary really to present a minimum of fossils of Martian protozoa. Such is the nature of rumors: they feed on hope and inflated expectations. Unfortunately, what seems most interesting discovery for real scientists, for the man on the street of interest may not be at all. If this interest is, it is easy to destroy them, allowing the premature leak of information. As happened with the "epochal discovery of Curiosity". Let's be honest: would you be able to recall what actually found there?

December 3, NASA held a press conference where he presented the long-awaited results. Actually finding was the following: on the red planet managed to find "organic" (water in quantities larger than expected, the carbon in various compounds, including methane). On Earth, these substances or serve as "building blocks" for living organisms or organisms are in the process of life. The problem, however, is that at this stage the scientists cannot guarantee that the carbon found in Martian samples, really Martian, and not arrived from Earth.

Concentration detected carbon is so small that it could well prove the earth "dirt", remaining on the surface of the Rover. To avoid this, it is necessary to take samples in other places and to compare the results of analysis that will take a few weeks. Is to be patient and wait: if carbon (the basis of all earthly life will be found in other samples can be argued that it is on Mars really is - and therefore to assume that the red planet was or still has a carbon life.

Of course, the audience received such results disappointed sigh. The nuances of the Martian soil science and without that not interesting, and after a two-week heat up some may consider it is mockery.

But who pulled NASA language, why it was impossible to be silent for a couple of weeks and submit a report in less sensational form? Well, to make allegedly tried this: in the following interview the representatives of the Agency explained that the employee having the leak, just misunderstood - he was referring to the importance of the mission in General, not specifically the current findings. Moreover, there are people who defend the right of scientists to exaggeration, saying that scientists need to be from time to time overexcited because the only way we, mere mortals, and will be able to see what is truly important from the point of view of real science.

But, unfortunately, not to exclude the inhabitant from the equation space of success will not work. As soon as the Americans will lose interest to Mars - once they have already lost it to the moon (all I remember Neil Armstrong, but who remembers the last flights of the titans?) - NASA will make about Mars to forget. And there will be no planned in 2020, a new Rover, no manned expedition later. Then correct the errors of the state Agency will private companies like SpaceX Elon musk, encroached on business colonization of the red planet.

Mask, however, also would not hurt to be a little less talkative: orbital flights (the SpaceX already engaged) and the Martian colony - things are different orders of complexity. You and stumble.