Posted on 01/09/2004 5:45:17 PM PST by LibWhacker
Less than a week after landing on Mars, the U.S. Spirit spacecraft has found possible evidence that water once flowed on the now-barren planet, the goal of the mission. The scientists are cautious about their interpretation.
Although the Spirit robotic rover has not yet begun its trek over Martian terrain, one of its scientific instruments has remotely detected small amounts of a mineral in nearby soil that hint of ancient water.
The instrument that did this is an infrared camera designed to sense the composition of material from afar by measuring heat emissions.
Mars mission scientist Phil Christensen says the presence of the mineral, called carbonate, might mean its is a remnant of rocks that formed in water from dissolved carbonate particles.
"So it might be that this carbonate actually does indeed have to do with the water that we came to look for," he said.
But Mr. Christensen warns that the mineral does not necessarily mean the landing site called Gusev Crater was an ancient lake, as is believed. The carbonate could have come from atmospheric dust that interacted with rocks and soil without water present.
The six-wheeled robotic explorer will help them determine the answer by examining rocks and soil closely when it eventually departs the Spirit lander. The nature of the soil in which the carbonate is found will reveal a lot.
Cornell University researcher Steven Squyres says if it is in wind-blown dust, it probably came from elsewhere and says nothing about a watery past for Gusev Crater. But if the soil that contains carbonate is coarse, like water sediments, that is evidence that the crater is an ancient lake bed.
"I think we're going to be chasing this carbonate story [for] weeks, months maybe," he said. "What we can do as we start to head out across the countryside is we can look at different patches of soil and we can measure the carbonate abundance is different kinds of soil."
The rover's expedition to do this has been delayed because airbags that cushioned the landing cannot be fully retracted and continue to block its path down Spirit's front ramp. To get around this obstacle, engineers have decided to rotate the lander one-third of a turn to the right and roll it off a secondary ramp on the lander's side late next week.
Steven Squyres says his team is prepared to command the rover to dig with its mechanical arm in whatever direction it heads.
"We always knew that we could egress in any direction and that the egress direction was going to be picked on the basis of safety," he said. "That's part of why we make sure to get a full 360 degree panoramic view. So we're going to be ready to pick targets, ready to do science no matter which direction the egress turns out to be."
In preparation for dispatching the rover, engineers have begun to raise it from its compressed travel position, as if it were a newborn stretching and kicking. The process of expanding the vehicle's legs and wheels to their fully extended position is taking two days.
Wow possible evidence.
| Rank | Location | Receipts | Donors/Avg | Freepers/Avg | Monthlies | |||
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Move your locale up the leaderboard!
Plus, they can set up a Coca-Cola distributorship once they arrive.
Amen. The only way humans will survive.
As the lander "skidded" to a halt, it apparently peeled a layer of soil up and turned it over somewhat like a plow in a field.
In effect, muddy topsoil.
At least one scientist was interested in getting a closer look at it..
If the satellite photos are correct, water is present just below the surface of this crater..
Thus, the mud..
Exactly. Space is the key resource that we lack. People need good fences and BIG YARDS to be good neighbors.
I think it's too cold for that.
Mud with an average surface temperature of -60C? Even the garden spots on the planet reach no higher than about -8C. If its mud, then its a compound like nothing I've ever cleaned off my boots.
Not to mention the tacky souvenirs. The proceeds from those alone could make Microsoft's gross look like Juan's Taco Stand after a bout of ptomaine.
That would be good news.
It Doesn't Matter WHAT the "Rover "Finds,"--the 'Dems & 'Weasel-Minds'' will NEVER See Enough Evidence to "justify" the "Astronomical Expense" of a "Manned Mission,"--ANYWHERE!
IF our "Species" would "Go to the Stars," we will DO SO "OVER THE OBJECTION OF" our "Hard-Headed Realists."
Our "Dreamers" Move us On--our "Relists" remind Us of the "MUD" from which we Originate.
We NEED "Realists."
We ALSO need "Dreamers!!"
Doc
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