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Mars Exploration Rover Mission
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Posted on 01/03/2004 9:33:30 AM PST by bonesmccoy
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To: e_engineer
omg . .I see it ! Is that Dennis Kusinich ? . . lol
2,841
posted on
01/11/2004 6:29:19 AM PST
by
ChadGore
(George W. Bush has done more to earn my vote than any other American alive today.)
To: ChadGore
I was thinking Beavis or Butthead, but Kusinich is better.
To: null and void; bonesmccoy
... some rocks were pounded into the surface and have that 'muddy' looking soil smushed up in a ring around them. Thanks for the great pics and threads with the details and discussion -- I finally got some time to let the thread load through.
Here's a question or two I have about this pic:
I know we're looking for water, but what other liquids could be used in its place? Mars has an average temperature of -60oC, which I will guesstimate ranges from -100oC to 0oC. Methane+ (C+H+) has various freezing and boiling points, providing for a liquid phase under those temperatures. However, I find no real info as to the liquidity under less than nominal 14.7psi other than the boiling point decreases as pressure does, but not in a linear fashion. What about the freezing point? Does it also change as much with pressure?
Those rocks at the bottom right looks like they've been smushed into moist soil, as there seem to be small clumps, that if perfectly dry, would fall.
Be a hell of a note if the Rover drives off and gets stuck in a Methane+ Mud pit!
2,843
posted on
01/11/2004 9:10:52 AM PST
by
brityank
(The more I learn about the Constitution, the more I realise this Government is UNconstitutional.)
To: brityank
Actually, if there were methane, I believe that prior missions would have detected venting of the methane into the CO2 rich atmosphere.
But your point is very interesting because if you recall, the Viking lander experiment that searched for biological processes turned up some strange readings that may have been partly related to a chemical reaction of some kind.
I've never heard an explanation for the Viking lander biological sciences results. If you have, please post.
If it were actually water, you would see more frost and ice during the Martian night.
2,844
posted on
01/11/2004 6:33:31 PM PST
by
bonesmccoy
(defend America...get vaccinated.)
To: bonesmccoy
If it were actually water, you would see more frost and ice during the Martian night. I doubt that we will find H2O as a free liquid anywhere on Mars; the Pathfinder vs. Viking Lander 1 Temperatures all fall below 0oC. The ice cap on the South Pole is CO2, but does follow a seasonal pattern.
I picked the Methane+ liquids, as there are several that are in a liquid state from 0oC down below 100oC, and could possibly be a binder of the fine-grained dust on the plain. With the very low gravity, and the extremely low atmospheric pressure, I wonder just what differences in observation we need account for in our expectations.
As I've said before, I'm so dumb I don't even know what questions to ask -- but it is fun trying to figure some of this out. I am fairly certain we won't find liquid water in the top few feet, unless there is some type of geothermal activity below, but I've seen no info to confirm that.
The only thing I saw on the biological sciences from Viking is the rust being a part of the reaction of Iron, Oxygen, and Water -- all evidence that there is bound water and oxygen that may be recoverable.
2,845
posted on
01/12/2004 5:46:54 PM PST
by
brityank
(The more I learn about the Constitution, the more I realise this Government is UNconstitutional.)
To: ChadGore; shaggy eel
Muttly finds it suspicious that NASA has not mentioned that Flounder on the lower right of the photo.
Muttly want Mars flounder too !!!!
(not that he doesn't already have one...but 2 would be even better. First one stringy)
2,846
posted on
01/12/2004 6:01:20 PM PST
by
PoorMuttly
("Deny, Deny, Bite")
To: PoorMuttly
,,, a stringy flounder? Go for a male one Muttly!
To: Far Right Field
missed that post of yours... that's huge news.
There has to be organics around on Mars.
The p=chem redox reactions would be operative on the surface... right? Also, the oxidation is clear from all the rust.
So, there's tons of Oxygen tied up in the oxides.
If there's ice water... we really could seriously be thinking about terraforming sooner than the next 1000 years.
2,848
posted on
01/12/2004 8:59:54 PM PST
by
bonesmccoy
(defend America...get vaccinated.)
To: brityank
If the traces of water are correct (see post above this one in thread), doesn't it suggest that the planet had far more water than is evident today?
Is it all tied up in the huge Martian poles?
We really need to do radar ranging on the planet to study the depth of the Mars poles.
Do you know if there is any data to suggest that the Mars poles are deeper than expected?
Maybe the planet is in such a deep freeze that the polar caps have all the water from the rest of the planet?
2,849
posted on
01/12/2004 9:02:25 PM PST
by
bonesmccoy
(defend America...get vaccinated.)
To: bonesmccoy
We really need to do radar ranging on the planet to study the depth of the Mars poles. Doesn't the Mars Express orbiter have this capability?
2,850
posted on
01/13/2004 7:33:25 AM PST
by
Paradox
(Cogito ergo boom.)
To: bonesmccoy
missed that post of yours... that's huge news. There has to be organics around on Mars. I suspect the carbonates are more indicative of life than any other mineral there, but who knows? The inorganic method of carbonate formation requires heat and free water in combination with free carbon, oxygen and the atoms of calcium , manganese or whatever, and lots of time. The organic method just requires the right kind of calcium loving animal, CO2 and water.
The p=chem redox reactions would be operative on the surface... right? Also, the oxidation is clear from all the rust. So, there's tons of Oxygen tied up in the oxides.
Every where you look you see iron oxide. The red of mars is, I believe, the various forms of iron oxide. Tons? Megatons more likely. Just heating the oxide will separate the 2 elements IIRC.That might be doable with solar concentrators.
If there's ice water... we really could seriously be thinking about terraforming sooner than the next 1000 years.
I suspect we will eventually Terraform Mars when we do go to space. It might be like in the Kim Stanley Roberson's series Red, Green, and Blue Mars. Or as simple as a solar mirror melting the ice trapped in the poles to cause a greenhouse effect.
To: bonesmccoy
Spirit Reaches for a Closer Look
This image taken by the front hazard-identification camera on the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit, shows the rover's robotic arm, or instrument deployment device. The arm was deployed from its stowed position beneath the "front porch" of the rover body late Thursday night Pacific time. This is the first use of the arm to deploy the microscopic imager, one of four geological instruments located on the arm. (Jan. 16)
+ Larger image
2,852
posted on
01/16/2004 11:04:37 AM PST
by
NormsRevenge
(Semper Fi Mac ...... /~normsrevenge - FoR California Propositions/Initiatives info...)
To: NormsRevenge
I guess I'm just spoiled by the coverage on touchdown,
I want more! More than one or two photos per day.
Arggggggggggh!
2,853
posted on
01/16/2004 12:16:59 PM PST
by
tet68
To: tet68
there is a page with all the raw images.
They're pulling engineering data right now and prepping for the science work. The pictures take up bandwidth that the science instruments need.
So, I'm sure that they're jockeying for bandwidth for each experiment.
2,854
posted on
01/16/2004 9:28:12 PM PST
by
bonesmccoy
(defend America...get vaccinated.)
bump for later.
2,855
posted on
03/08/2004 9:21:13 AM PST
by
Museum Twenty
(Support the President - wear the Baseball Cap - display the Bumper Sticker - http://www.ilovew.com .)
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