Unusual Looking Martian Rock

NONE | 1-9-04 | Orion78

[Orion78]

The original image from NASA is HERE

Location of Rock in Question

Close Up

[mhking]

Anyway, I just wanted to make my peace.

I notice you didn't take any of the other "tongue-in-cheek" posters to task over their comments in the thread prior and subsequent to mine.

If you paid attention to my posts, you'd notice that not only do I point out the "fringe-type" stories with that list, but other stories and threads that may be of interest to a variety of people.

To answer your other assertion, I DO pay attention to most of the scientific threads on FR, this one included. And while I may not comment on the vast majority of them, this one I happened to.

There was no offense intended toward you nor the subject matter.

[Orion78]

I did take one other to task but typically I ignore people who come in and poke fun because I am more interested in making a good thread than stopping to talk with someone who doesn't really care and only posted to insult. The reason I singled you out was because you pinged many people, and many of those people are FReepers who are well known and respected.

I value my reputation on FR and I was offended because in the 3 years I have posted on FR, the "Just Damn" pings I have seen were either for reports about stupid people doing stupid things, or for FReepers who post stupid threads.

I apologize if I have mis-characterized your "Just Damn" pings. I was fairly certain, (especially with the "Paging Art Bell" comment), that you were suggesting my thread was of poor quality and content. Thank you for replying and clarifying that you intended no offense.

Orion78

[tet68]

More pix, I want more pix!

[Orion78]

Indeed. I was very happy when I saw the pictures NASA had posted today. I made a very sad attempt at creating a color photo using the different "filters" from Spirit's Pancam. I managed to get color, but it is nothing like it should be. Here is the best attempt so far.

What went wrong?

What I want most right now, is to find out whether or not NASA plans to check out "Sashimi" and "Sushi" next.

[Bernard Marx]

I recognize that rock: Balanced Rock near Buhl, Idaho. Has it fallen over yet?

[Bernard Marx]

After seeing the image in this post and in #472, I'd like to revise everything I've written about the "square hole" rock.

Unless I'm very much mistaken both large rocks in the images are some type of vesicular igneous rock, probably basalt or rhyolite. Vesicles are the little round or oval "bubbles" formed by escaping gas when the rock is molten and very liquid. This means the rock cooled very quickly when ejected to the surface so as to preserve the shapes of the "gas bubbles." Fast-cooling igneous rocks don't allow large crystals of any kind to develop. So the square "hole" must have another explanation. I don't think this material looks anything like columnar basalt so the mystery deepens.

[Axenolith]

For somewhere between 1200 and 1300 bucks tax included(Not exact 'cause the wife picked it up) we got
Camera Body
256 Megabyte flash card
18X55mm Lens
UV Filter
Compact Flash reader and USB cable
Case
2 Batteries
Charger
Associated software (including a photo suite, some type of Adobe, I don't know yet if it's a full setup)
~12 hours of instructional classes (Wife gets to go, I can read manuel and research, and my old roomate is an SLR Guru-dood)

[Orlando]

It seem to me that JPL is editing alot of images now.
Oh well :( , I work by the Cape (Space Coast) and there
are alot of people around here that is praying and hope
that JPL shows more of the real stuff, if only they can reduce the editing by 10-15%, because the interest to get
the elected-officals and VOTERS is not there, yet !

The future of the space programs, education,fundings, JOBS !!!!! rest on JPL.


FireTrack, check-out at @ 10 O'Clock & 11 O'Clock, 80% && 90 % UP, left...

If the rover was to go black, or dead soon and the world
is not provided a shocker to get the above going again.
It's over for many , many NASA/Contractors employees,etc...
Here's the images from Sol-16 (Monday)


http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/all/2/p/016/2P127792762EFF0327P2371L7M1.JPG

[the invisib1e hand]

Has it fallen over yet?

That's World-famous Balanced Rock :).

I'm sure if it had fallen over it, every news crew in the country would have been out there, and it would have been used in the Democrats' campaign against President Bush.

[Orlando]

It seem the anomalies community had pick-up this images, and provided better images and close-ups, and the explaination is good to me.
Here's more data on the two objects that I found on Sol-14
images, and I am happy to know others are studying this data, because it proves that life once lived on Mars, and where destroyed by God for being too evil. This is my opinion, and if it sounds way-off, so-be-it ! Thanks FireTrack for this image.



http://anomalyhunters.com/cgi-bin/marsbbs/webbbs_config.pl?read=8839


My advise to NASA/JPL is to say nothing , just keep showing the images and slow-down on the editing alittle more....
On Friday night, Mars Express might show the new image of Cydonia ???

[RightWhale]

it proves that life once lived on Mars, and where destroyed by God for being too evil.

The first part of the hypothesis might be provable and very soon if the Rover continues to function. The second part I find no documentation to support.

[tet68]

Have you been to this site, it was on this or another Mars thread has a lot of info about the color process, way too
technical for me.

http://www.keithlaney.com/

Great pix here by the way!

[FireTrack]

"Thanks FireTrack for this image."

You're most welcome, just my small contribution to a wonderful site. Below is another with some interesting objects.

In reference to your other post, I think we should all be patient and let NASA do their thing. That said, I personally believe they are wasting time and opportunity by not utilizing all the resources and methods of discovery at their disposal and by playing with the "power tools" on Spirit instead of capturing as many surface images with the Microscopic Imager. I think they're afraid of looking foolish if they do other than the "elitist" science.

The greatest odds of finding proof of life are to find some kind of fossilized evidence. Scanning the Mars surface by sweeping the microscopic imager back and forth as Spirit travels or at rest seems to me to be an efficient way of increasing the odds.

[Orlando]

I already found life ???, it looks like a growing vine from same image, it's at 10'O Clock, 80%, far left, under
3 pc up-side-down-boat-rock-like-shape, it's the 3rd, bottom down, if you can zoom in 2x, 4x, in that location, and spot... "Life!"

[AppauledAtAppeasementConservat]

"Unless I'm very much mistaken both large rocks in the images are some type of vesicular igneous rock, probably basalt or rhyolite. Vesicles are the little round or oval "bubbles" formed by escaping gas when the rock is molten and very liquid. This means the rock cooled very quickly when ejected to the surface so as to preserve the shapes of the "gas bubbles." Fast-cooling igneous rocks don't allow large crystals of any kind to develop. So the square "hole" must have another explanation. I don't think this material looks anything like columnar basalt so the mystery deepens."

Yeah, totally blasted my theory on breccia too when I first saw that the dark area in the front of the rock wasn't a vien but rather a groove. I pouted for a few days but alas it was fun to speculate!

[AppauledAtAppeasementConservat]

Hold on a sec here's some interesting data:



Notice the olivine? Still a possibility on that theory yet! That hole is too square to be caused by weathering and erosional forces. It's just to darn perfect!

[AppauledAtAppeasementConservat]

Here's the image and caption link above that I forgot to add in:

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/mer2004/rover-images/jan-20-2004/captions/image-12.html

[GOPJ]

Please add me to you ping list. Thanks.

[Orion78]

Is it possible that the square hole was formed from a crystal while "Sushi" was in the ground and the vesicles were formed when a meteor struck the ground and "Sushi" became a piece of ejecta?

[Orion78]

Sounds like you got pretty good deal. Digital cameras are definately the way of the future. I read a few days ago Kodak is going to stop selling traditional cameras in the United States because more and more Americans are moving to digital.