Posted on 01/07/2004 3:41:30 PM PST by blam
NASA gets good look at Mars soil and a true puzzle
By Jeremy Manier, Tribune staff reporter
Opening its primary digital eyes for the first time, the rover Spirit on Tuesday transmitted the most detailed photos ever sent from the surface of Mars, revealing an alien vista of deep russet sands, a mysteriously sticky form of soil and a far-off mesa in the light orange haze.
The rocky scene is about four times sharper than any previous photos from the planet, and experts said the probe should be sending even larger, three-dimensional views of its terrain within a few days. Scientists will use those photos and information from an infrared imaging instrument to choose the most promising places for the rover to start visiting next week in search of signs that Mars once had a habitat suitable for life.
It's difficult to imagine life surviving now in the barren landscape around the rover--though mission planners have said one goal of the robotic Mars expeditions is to scout out possible landing sites in case the U.S. ever sends astronauts to Mars.
But on Tuesday, researchers analyzing the new images took a moment to look at the planet with simple wonder.
"My reaction has been one of shock and awe," said Jim Bell, leader of the mission's imaging team at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California.
The sticky-looking soil may be the first true puzzle of the mission, scientists said. Technicians believe the probe's landing airbags disturbed the dirt near the rover when they retracted back under the craft, soon after the landing. The dirt that was dragged by the airbags now looks oddly folded, almost as if it were damp clay.
"It looks like mud, but it can't be mud," said principal investigator Steven Squyres. "It's not like anything that I have ever seen before. It's very weird-looking stuff."
Researchers believe Martian soil in the rover's vicinity is bone-dry near the surface, adding to the mystery. Squyres said it's possible that moisture evaporating from below left a salty, cohesive crust at the surface.
(Excerpt) Read more at story.news.yahoo.com ...
We'll know soon enough once the rover starts doing its job.
So you are suggesting the French beat us to Mars? Nonsense!
On this website:
http://www.aas.org/publications/baas/v35n4/dps2003/358.htm
is found a list of the molecular compounds detected in the emissions of a recently observed comet, C/2001 A2 (LINEAR): "We detected numerous cometary molecules in A2, including H2O, C2H6, C2H2, CH4, HCN, CO, H2CO, CH3OH, NH2, and OH."
This leads to the question: if large comets impacted Mars, could that provide enough water to cause local flooding and the formation of streams that soon (on the astronomical time scale) dried up because of evaporation and/or absorption?
Oh, THAT? That's just pollution from SUV's (Stellar Utility Vehicles)...
The wind storms can be high velocity, but Mars' atmosphere is very thin, so the erosion effect isn't as strong as one might think.
Probably not. I don't know the top speed of the current rover, but the one that landed several years ago moved at speeds best described as a crawl.
Definitely intriguing. At first glance it looks like some sort of forest.
What's the scale on that?
To think that in all ETERNITY that we on earth could have the only life is somewhat ridiculous.
On this site, a geologist says it could be some kind of radial drainage pattern. D@mn peculiar!
You might have something there... Could be the airbags are from the bottoms of used pant suits that her hideous donated for the tax right off. They just couldn't get all the slime off and besides, it helps to seal any leaks.
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