First pictures of Mars Rover (Opportunity) "trenching" . . . comments/speculation encouraged

NASA - JPL ^ | 2-16-2004 | NASA/JPL

[Phil V.]

Comments/speculation?

stereo strip of trench . . .

[BykrBayb]

I'm no expert, but when I was a kid my favorite activity was digging in the dirt. There's a clean cut in the track of dirt right in front of the rover. Dry sand falls away, but moist dirt will leave a clean cut like that. At the top, it looks dry and sandy. Have you ever dug a hole at the beach? The dry sand on top will just continue to fall in on itself. If you dig deep enough, you get to the moist sand below, and it holds it's shape. This looks much like the dirt you would find in your own yard. The moist soil down low is darker than the dry soil on top. And if it's a warm day and the sun is shining bright, a very thin layer of soil on the surface will turn almost white as it dries. Not stark white like we're seeing in the tracks. I don't know how to explain that, except maybe some mineral. It's the different shades of brown and the consistency of the dirt that suggest to me there may be water.

[ChadGore]

a Model of the rover wheel. This is the "mark in the sand every few feet".

[Bobibutu]

Back in the '80s I met an old man who had machined parts for the moon rover - he was very proud. I wonder how the machinist feel seeing their baby and their parts on another planet operating.

[Viking2002]

Looks like a rack of baby-back ribs....LOL Seriously, I'd like to know what that is buried under the topsoil. Can't tell with a black-and-white stereoscopic image.....calcium carbonate? Nah. Too organic, I'd imagine. Permafrost? It'll be interesting to see if it's sedimentary. Given the layered look of the rock outcroppings lining the crater, maybe it held a small lake for a period of time, and this is the fossil evidence of it.

Sure as hell jogs the imagination, doesn't it?

[The Electrician]

Tasty layer of "Marzipan" filling?

[ChadGore]

Here's a web site from the guys who made the rover wheels . . .amazing stuff.

http://www.nextintent.com/parts.html

[null and void]

mars-ipan

[Prince Charles]

Way-cool animation alert:

http://www.maasdigital.com/

[Khurkris]

Soo...we go to Mars and do Crop Circles...?

[Cold Heat]

Dry sand falls away, but moist dirt will leave a clean cut like that. At the top, it looks dry and sandy.

Interesting, but I can't say for sure, as there are some other factors.

The gravity is not the same, and the soil consistency is already a point of contention because of it's strange behaviour. Moisture, as we know it, (humidity) has been pretty much ruled out. The trench is not very deep.

The whitish area may be just a shiny compaction spot where the surface reflects more light.

Sure is interesting stuff. The apparent surface stickiness of the soil is really interesting and difficult to imagine on what is supposed to be a very dry planet. Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

[WhiteGuy]

We don't need NASA, just a "few good men".

uh, you're hired.

[null and void]

Back in the '80s I met an old man who had machined parts for the moon rover - he was very proud. I wonder how the machinist feel seeing their baby and their parts on another planet operating.

My dad is very proud of "his" Lunar Lander parts.

"Cycle the Parker valve" - the very first words transmitted from the surface of the moon.

He's also proud of his Viking parts...

[hershey]

wow, wonder how heavy the rover is, composition of Martian soil or dust...looks so even.

[ChadGore]

Hey Phil V. I can't thank ya enough for these threads. They've been amazing.

[Cold Heat]

What is even more interesting is the clumping of the soil in the wheel recesses.

If it is not moisture, then could it be a oily mineral like liquid silica or something.

[tubebender]

Is there there a Snickers Planet...

[tubebender]

Think of the millions we could have saved by just sending a DitchWitch trencher up there!

They could have just rented it from United Rentals...

[ChadGore]

Re:What is even more interesting is the clumping of the soil in the wheel recesses.

Hmm interesting. Here's the right wheel @ 400x

[BykrBayb]

Yeah, but most people call it Uranus. Then everybody snickers.

[ChadGore]

. .and with a little browser magic, the same right wheel @ 800x