Today's Stereogram from Mars - Microscopic image of spherule(Opportunity)-Pancam(Spirit) sol-29

NASA - JPL ^ | 02-23-2004 | NASA/JPL

[Phil V.]

Crabs on Mars! yikes . . .

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. . . and a zoom-in . . .

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sol-29 . . . Spirit . . . pancam . . .

LEFT/RIGHT

 

RIGHT/LEFT

 

[Starve The Beast]

OK, but a question for the minerals people here: isn't the hexagonal structure one of the universal shapes taken by matter? I know that you see the same geometrical shapes over and over in nature, both in living organisms and in the formation of the inorganic world. Isn't the hexagon kind of a universal shape?

[nuconvert]

Look at this, Pong

[Phil V.]

. . . isn't the hexagonal structure one of the universal shapes taken by matter?

Ice (water) is a hexagonal crystal. I'm not a "mineral guy" so I can't name a list of minerals with a hex structure but there must be some - perhaps many. To me the hex characteristic of the sphereule rules out rapid cooling of volcanic or meteor hot material. . . . leaving formation by acreation(mineral) or (long reach)life.

[2111USMC]

First picture definitely looks like a crab.

Second picture looks like a Bat head.

Yikes! Martian bats!

[HighWheeler]

Look at the fried chicken heads:

[mdmathis6]

If you position your self about a foot from the screen and stair straight into the two images, then cross your eyes together then let them slowly uncross, there will be a convergence point where you see a third image in the center, with a little practice you can maintain the image for several minutes. what looks like a crab is a depression with the light coming from the bottom at a high angle. The "spheroid" is a depression, polished smooth and round from that sampling drill. It looks like volcanic rock!

[Phil V.]

. . . The "spheroid" is a depression, polished smooth and round from that sampling drill. . . .

If you are "seeing" concave rather than convex you are experiencing an optical illusion. The object (as are the billions/trillions/*****illions of others) is convex in roundness as is the earth (unless one is inside a hollow earth). ALSO . . . the "sampling drill" on Opportunity had not gone to work as of the time of the picture. Nor can the "sampling drill" polish . I suspect that the "polish" observed on the sphere is the result of wind erosion.

[Past Master Councilor]

"The "spheroid" is a depression, polished smooth . . "

I believe you are the victim of an optical illusion.

[Don Joe]

I spotted it on the NASA website and posted the following in another thread before I saw that I'd been pinged to this one. ("Life" has been getting my ducks out of a row.)

From Strongest evidence yet of "WET MARS" . . . input please!

To: ElkGroveDan

Boy they sure have some 'splaining to do. I am sure there are non-biological explanations for these linear voids, but I can't imagine what they are.

Here's one I found on that same page of new images. (I don't have broadband, so I can't do a whole lot of bandwidth-heavy nosing around).

click to enlarge

rorschach_mode:ON

Looks like a crab coated with mud in the upper-right quarter of the picture. Below it are two of the pearl/mushroom/whatever sphere things.

One of them shows the "peach line" down the left side. They look like they're growing out of the rock.

At the bottom of the picture, in the center, just to the "southeast" of the lower sphere, it looks like another crab claw.

rorschach_mode:OFF

I noticed the apparent stipe in the "fungus" at the top of this thread, then saw that several others had commented on it, so I knew it wasn't my imagination. Um, let me rephrase that... :)

These things certainly are intriguing. Are they animal, vegetable, or mineral? Or some combination? (i.e., something like a pearl, which is mineral, but produced by an animal). Maybe there's a vegetable that produces mineral "output" on Mars? Maybe "life" there (yes, mega-speculation mode) is in some form other than animal or vegetable? (Yes, I know there are other forms here too, but they aren't very large, with the exception of stuff like slime mold :)

If they are evidence of life, the big question is whether they're of Martian origin, or, the offspring of something kicked up from the Yucatan impact (or something in the same league).

It's all very interesting, I must admit, and I say this as someone who is pretty seriously opposed to government sponsored space activity. I'd rather see it done by the private sector, using private dollars, or, failing that, simply dropped, and let the weary taxpayers keep their money. And before anyone yells at me about how it's only costing me a few pennies a year, I'll say that every "interest" makes the same claims (nice benefit, low cost). The thing is, those pennies add up, otherwise we wouldn't have such a massive government debt load. So, when I say that I don't want "government money" to be spent on space activity, I'm not singling it out. I don't want to see it spent on anything other than that which the founders intended, i.e. the national defense and a few other critical applications. (And I would agree with defense spending for relevant space activity, but ideally, I'd like to see the money spent in the private sector.)

I'm tempted to add ,"don't flame me", but I know better. :)

105 posted on 02/23/2004 2:24:55 AM EST by Don Joe

[Don Joe]

Boy they sure have some 'splaining to do. I am sure there are non-biological explanations for these linear voids, but I can't imagine what they are.

Here's one I found on that same page of new images. (I don't have broadband, so I can't do a whole lot of bandwidth-heavy nosing around).

click to enlarge

rorschach_mode:ON

Looks like a crab coated with mud in the upper-right quarter of the picture. Below it are two of the pearl/mushroom/whatever sphere things.

One of them shows the "peach line" down the left side. They look like they're growing out of the rock.

At the bottom of the picture, in the center, just to the "southeast" of the lower sphere, it looks like another crab claw.

rorschach_mode:OFF

I noticed the apparent stipe in the "fungus" at the top of this thread, then saw that several others had commented on it, so I knew it wasn't my imagination. Um, let me rephrase that... :)

These things certainly are intriguing. Are they animal, vegetable, or mineral? Or some combination? (i.e., something like a pearl, which is mineral, but produced by an animal). Maybe there's a vegetable that produces mineral "output" on Mars? Maybe "life" there (yes, mega-speculation mode) is in some form other than animal or vegetable? (Yes, I know there are other forms here too, but they aren't very large, with the exception of stuff like slime mold :)

If they are evidence of life, the big question is whether they're of Martian origin, or, the offspring of something kicked up from the Yucatan impact (or something in the same league).

It's all very interesting, I must admit, and I say this as someone who is pretty seriously opposed to government sponsored space activity. I'd rather see it done by the private sector, using private dollars, or, failing that, simply dropped, and let the weary taxpayers keep their money. And before anyone yells at me about how it's only costing me a few pennies a year, I'll say that every "interest" makes the same claims (nice benefit, low cost). The thing is, those pennies add up, otherwise we wouldn't have such a massive government debt load. So, when I say that I don't want "government money" to be spent on space activity, I'm not singling it out. I don't want to see it spent on anything other than that which the founders intended, i.e. the national defense and a few other critical applications. (And I would agree with defense spending for relevant space activity, but ideally, I'd like to see the money spent in the private sector.)

I'm tempted to add ,"don't flame me", but I know better. :)

[Don Joe]

Examine the shperule in the full size stereo carefully. Notice the "peach crease". NOTICE FURTHER that from tip of the "peach" there are SIX spokes (longitudinal lines) with the tip of the sherule as the axis. The "peach crease" is one of the longitudinal lines. THE (CRYSTALINE) STRUCTURE IS HEXAGONAL!

Martian squirting cucumbers? Or jewelweed? :)