Microscopic Images of Mars Opportunity outcrop are IN!

NASA JPL ^ | February 8, 2004 | Opportunity Rover

[John H K]

Eh, I think this is a "breaking" story given the level of interest in this outcrop, and certainly more importan than all the Laci Peterson/Jacko nonsense that was posted as "breaking."

The grains/crystals whatever of the outcrop itself are REALLY small, though.

The interesting thing about the Mars pics is that people seem confused on the scale. The Panoramic pics of the outcrop made the outcrop and crater that Opportunity was in look HUGE; but the outcrop is only 4 1/2 inches high.

Conversely, people think the microscopic pics are too SMALL; actually they're not all that "microscopic" and the features they show would be visible to the naked eye.

I don't know what to make of the outcrop. The spheres do seem to "come" from it.

[Professional Engineer]

Cool picture!

[thoughtomator]

Heck check out that spherical thing on the lower left... is that one of Senator Hatch's missing testicles?

[thoughtomator]

oops lower right

[the invisib1e hand]

Termites!

[dirtboy]

Looks kinda like wind eroded welded tuff. There seems to be a microscopic vascular structure.

The grains/crystals whatever of the outcrop itself are REALLY small, though.

That is consistent with extruded igneous material that cooled very quickly.

[Momaw Nadon]

Martian UFO?

[tet68]

Actually I think this is made from the missing vertibrae
of the Republican party leadership.

[Miss Marple]

In the very top of the picture, just a bit right of center, one can see a circular void, which appears to have been left by the weathering out of one of the "diatoms" we saw on the microscopic soil photo.

[Verginius Rufus]

These are either unprecedented photos from Mars, or closeups of some chicken nuggets.

[dirtboy]

Here is an microscopic of welded tuff:

[Howlin]

FYI.

[John H K]

The spheres are several thousand times bigger than "diatoms"...this is a similar "microscopic" image to the previous ones, that aren't really all that "microscopic."

[Bommer]

Heck check out that spherical thing on the lower left... is that one of Senator Hatch's missing testicles?

Of course not! Don't be so silly! You have to possess them first to loose them

[Young Rhino]

John Kerry's forehead pre-Botox?

[dinok]

"Actually I think this is made from the missing vertibrae
of the Republican party leadership."

Its what the vertebrae might have looked if they might have ever excisted.

[SarahW]

Hey, what's "tuff" and how does it get "welded"?

[Dog Gone]

Something definitely eroded the rock shown here. With the cavities and other features, I'd guess some liquid did it, but I'm only an amateur geologist.

[LuigiBasco]

Never knew he had any at all!
I though Teddy had them in his hands!

[Miss Marple]

I know the real size of actual diatoms. That is why I used the quotes.

At any rate, whatever the spheres are, one of them seems to have been in this outcrop at one time.