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MARS: The Case for Spirit's Water
SpaceDaily ^ | Mar 09, 2004 | Astrobiology Magazine

Posted on 03/09/2004 7:25:49 PM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach

The Case for Spirit's Water


a truly desolate place
by Astrobiology Magazine
Moffett Field - Mar 09, 2004
On the heels of the announcement that the Opportunity site on Mars was 'soaked' in water some time in its distant past, the rover teams have identified candidates for trace water at the Gusev crater site.

"We're not talking about alot of water," said Dr. Ray Avridson, the Deputy Principal Investigator and a geologist at Washington University at St. Louis. "The rock to water ratio would be huge [at Spirit] relative to what we see at Opportunity."

The new findings center on a 60 cm tall rock called Humphrey that was found on the way from Spirit's landing site towards a crater and eventually towards the far hills to the east.

"At Humphrey rock, we did an extended RAT," said Avridson, referring to the diamond grinding that is done with the robotic arm's rock abrasion tool, or RAT instrument.

"We ground a 2.1 mm hole and the dark area around grinding is dust. This look at the interior [because it is so flat], makes geologists very happy. From that flat surface, we see dark specks and hollows. The specks are igneous in a matrix of glass. The bright areas are vugs [or hollows]," said Avridson.

Rewriting Textbook Science on Mars
"On Earth we would say [Humphrey] is a volcanic rock with a little bit of aqueous flow through it. The minerals formed right after volcanic activity..." continued Avridson. "We're not talking about gobs of water, but it demonstrates that when rocks are made on Mars, that fluid can run through them."

"This section will be in every textbook for the next 10 years," said Avridson.

The unique views below the dust layers on martian rocks have not been possible on any previous trip to Mars. By grinding into the rock, geologists can not only get a cleaner view of the mineral grains and compositions, but also test their mechanical strength.

According to Stephen Gorevan, a scientist with Honeybee Robotics and the rock abrasion tool team, "The strength of this [Humphrey] rock is about that of Adirondack [another rock at Gusev that was drilled into]. Measuring the energy it takes to cut this rock, we conclude that Humphrey is not a strong rock. Somewhere between a limestone and weak basalt."

Contrasting the amount of water that may have been at Meridiani, the Opportunity site, and Gusev, the Spirit site, Avridson concluded: "The rocks at Opportunity are sedimentary rocks, shot through by corrosive water, and alot of minerals were replaced, and sulfates precipitated into the pores."

"The rock Humphrey is definitely a volcanic rock, from crystallization by magma," said Avridson. "The tantalizing thing is that water was present during last stages of crystallization, and may have been a wet magma or eroded later. We'll look for dark rocks, broken by mother nature to see deeper into the interior."

"The best bet may be that water was in the magma, at the last stages of fluids, that led to these white minerals that filled in the vugs. Probably water that came up with the magma. Or perhaps the magma interacting [with later fluid flows]," said Avridson.

The First Hundred Days
As Spirit approached its second month and Opportunity neared the 40 day mark, both missions have logged a milestone for surface maneuvers on Mars.

Between the two rovers, according to Matt Wallace, JPL's mission manager, this has been a "terrific 100 days on Mars. From an engineering side, we have hit our stride. We are now not just reacting, but can look farther out [in our mission plans].

"We are starting to think about software upgrades, optimization and extended mission concepts. Both rovers are healthy, and doing some impressive driving."

"Both vehicles are doing alot of robotic arm work, and these are becoming increasingly challenging," summarized Wallace. "The next targets [for Opportunity] are Berry Bowl and Slickrock. Eventually moving over to Last Chance rock, which is in the Big Bend area at Meridiani.

"Already at places, we have taken 114 microscopic images, requiring over 400 commands, and 200 robotic arm [IDD, or instrument deployment device] positions to get that imagery at the Last Chance [rock, on the borders of the crater's outcrop]."

The next few weeks on the other side of the planet, near the Spirit driving area, a high-value science target is looming increasingly large on the horizon. "Within about a dozen sols," said Avridson, "we will be at the crater rim, and decide if there are exciting scientific finds there. Then head for the far hills."

Red Crystals of Hematite?
One intriguing result from the grinding experiments has been the large amount of fine red dust kicked up by drilling action at the Opportunity site. The landing location at Meridiani was chosen primarily because orbital observations revealed a locally high concentration of the water-forming mineral hematite. Hematite comes in at least two main types, the coarser grey hematite crystals, and what many believe are finer, red hematite crystals.

One view of the fine red dust or tailings left by the RAT experiments has centered on whether they are the result of cutting what scientists euphemistically call 'blueberry-like' spheres.

When the rock drill strikes embedded berries, the tiny BB-like balls may be disintegrating into their inner red dust, according to one theory that would provide a key indicator of where some of the red crystalline hematite may be lodged.

Cornell's lead scientist for the panoramic camera system, Dr. Jim Bell, noted that at the hematite-rich, Meridiani region, "The top portion of El Capitan is a rock about the size of the rover wheels, or a loaf of bread. These are tabular, light-colored rocks found to be very sulfur-rich, with linear features like mineral casts.

[The RAT holes create] alot of dust. The tailings and dust look like a tiny impact crater. The center region is free from these tailings and has a similar texture extending down, this 'vuggy', broken up texture."

"We may have very good evidence for fine grain, red hematite crystals," noted Bell. "This is not the gray, coarse hematite elsewhere. If the berries are hematitic, the red dust or the tailings may be created from shaving the berries. We want to test that hypothesis."

"One of the ideas was to dig into laminations. About these dark red areas we have alot of questions. Are these intrinsic to the grains or is RAT throwing dust into the hole?"

Magnetic Dust Both sites on Mars were chosen because they were relatively flat, free from large rocks to ease driving and not too dusty. The presence of possible water-bearing minerals at Meridiani and a crater lake at Gusev primed the science team to look closer.

Actually since Mars is so dusty, picking these sites and including grinding tools became a mission goal. Little however is known about the details of what makes up the dust on Mars.

One preliminary finding reported from an experiment to test the dust is now taking shape. Both rovers are equipped with strong and weak magnets designed to sort and analyze the magnetic properties of martian dust.

Morten Madsen, a science team member from the Center for Planetary Science, in Copenhagen, said "The atmosphere of Mars is quite dusty. We don't know much about this dust.

"It is about 2 microns in diameter [or about a tiny fraction of the width of a human hair], but we don't know what minerals are composing them. That is one reason we have magnets. The dust could have been formed by volcanic ash. It could be like the soil, or it may have been produced by precipitation in liqud water."

"The capture magnets," said Madsen, referring to the strongest magnet on the rover, "gets all the dust that is blowing in the wind. Other magnets get rid of weaker magnetic particles but keep only the strongly magnetic ones. The robotic arm will be able to get mineralogical data" of these dust particles.

One fascinating finding so far is that the dust particles, while much too fine to be imaged by the rovers' microscopes, can be resolved as aggregates. Apparently there is initial evidence that dust is capable of forming fine magnetic needles and agglomerates.

Madsen said "Particles arriving on the magnets interact with each other. We see particles that can be resolved with [a future microscopic imager experiment]. They form agglomerates, even needles. We are excited to look at these structures with time and with APX and Mossbauer spectrometers to determine their composition."

What's Next The twin rovers operating on opposite sides of Mars are about to enter different phases, as Opportunity gears up for a drive just when Spirit settles into a crater. In the last few weeks, the main tasks have been flipped, as Opportunity explored its own crater and Spirit took on a long and increasingly rugged drive.

Bell summarized where the two missions stand in their timelines, by saying that for Opportunity, "We will continue to tour the crater, then head out. That will be kind of interesting, heading out across the plains, just as Spirit heads into its crater. So far we have obtained over 12,000 images, and everything is healthy and happy."

Article is courtesy of NASA's Astrobiology Magazine team at Ames Research Center. This article is public domain and available for reprint with appropriate credit.

Related Links
Mars Rovers at JPL
Mars Rovers at Cornell
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MARSDAILY
Opportunity Rover Finds Strong Evidence Meridiani Planum Was Wet
 Washington - Mar 02, 2004
Scientists have concluded the part of Mars that NASA's Opportunity rover is exploring was soaking wet in the past. Evidence the rover found in a rock outcrop led scientists to the conclusion. Clues from the rocks' composition, such as the presence of sulfates, and the rocks' physical appearance, such as niches where crystals grew, helped make the case for a watery history.

Volcanic Rock In Mars' Gusev Crater Hints At Past Water
Pasadena - Mar 05, 2004
NASA's Spirit has found hints of a water history in a rock at Mars' Gusev Crater, but it is a very different type of rock than those in which NASA's Opportunity found clues to a wet past on the opposite side of the planet.



TOPICS: Extended News; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: mars; rover; searchforwater; spirit
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1 posted on 03/09/2004 7:25:50 PM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach
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To: Phil V.; KevinDavis
fyi
2 posted on 03/09/2004 7:26:40 PM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach (The terrorists and their supporters declared war on the United States - and war is what they got!!!!)
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To: NormsRevenge; blam; RadioAstronomer
ping
3 posted on 03/09/2004 7:31:44 PM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach (The terrorists and their supporters declared war on the United States - and war is what they got!!!!)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
"The rock Humphrey is definitely a volcanic rock, from crystallization by magma," said Avridson. "The tantalizing thing is that water was present during last stages of crystallization, and may have been a wet magma or eroded later. We'll look for dark rocks, broken by mother nature to see deeper into the interior."

Now we know. We need a big crater.


FRom BBC

Mars rovers' lifetime boosted

4 posted on 03/09/2004 7:32:52 PM PST by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi Mac ... Support Our Troops! ... Defeat the demRats in November!!! ... Beat BoXer!!!)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
Interesting. Doesn't Gusev have the giant river-looking flow coming out of it? You'd think it would show more signs of water. Mars always fascinates.
5 posted on 03/09/2004 7:33:01 PM PST by Monty22
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To: NormsRevenge
Mars rovers' lifetime boosted
By Paul Rincon
BBC News Online science staff

Rover pancam, Nasa
The rovers will spend 150 days longer on Mars than expected
The US space agency's Mars rovers may work for up to 240 days on the Red Planet, about 150 more than the mission team had originally projected.

Mission engineers have analysed power data for both Spirit and Opportunity which shows the vehicles are performing much better than they had expected.

It means the rovers can keep scouting Mars for many more interesting rocks.

Lead scientist Professor Steve Squyres made the announcement by satellite link-up to a Mars conference in London.

There is probably more driving in our future
Jake Matijevic, Nasa JPL
But the mission team adds that its original estimates of Mars' environment and the rovers' performance were very conservative.

The rovers use energy from the Sun to power their batteries, using triangular solar panels that sit horizontally around their waists. The panels have proven to be very efficient.

Heater issue

In addition, the rovers have not needed to use up as much power for heating because the Mars climate has been warmer than projections implied.

Spirit and Opportunity will now be able to stay longer on the surface of Mars to carry out tests, something which has taken on new importance after the discovery of firm evidence showing Mars had the wet environments to support life.

"They will be able to travel some distance from the landing sites to see a different type of terrain, a different type of geological formation," said Jake Matijevic, assistant engineer at Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

"There is probably more driving in our future."

He added that the revised estimate of 240 sols, or Martian days, for the rovers' lifetime was a good estimate, but could change if the Martian environment or the health of the rovers changed.

Opportunity has been suffering power loss due to a faulty heater in its robotic arm since it landed on 25 January.

But Mr Matijevic said plans to remove the power source to the heater for part of the night would even things out between the two rovers.


6 posted on 03/09/2004 7:35:05 PM PST by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi Mac ... Support Our Troops! ... Defeat the demRats in November!!! ... Beat BoXer!!!)
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Found this too. :-( sounds like the Beagle bit it.

Beagle descent possibly too fast

7 posted on 03/09/2004 7:37:55 PM PST by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi Mac ... Support Our Troops! ... Defeat the demRats in November!!! ... Beat BoXer!!!)
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To: NormsRevenge
Thanks for adding that article. The Rovers are amazing contraptions!
8 posted on 03/09/2004 7:42:00 PM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach (The terrorists and their supporters declared war on the United States - and war is what they got!!!!)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
Does this mean that water could be extracted from the martian soil by some process?
9 posted on 03/09/2004 7:44:47 PM PST by Burkeman1
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
Check this one out. Click the pic.


Mars rover position pinpointed


The rover landed in a shallow impact crater.

10 posted on 03/09/2004 7:45:12 PM PST by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi Mac ... Support Our Troops! ... Defeat the demRats in November!!! ... Beat BoXer!!!)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
...vugs, RATS, berries, geo-logic -- way out of my league, but fun to read...
11 posted on 03/09/2004 7:46:38 PM PST by Migraine (my grain is pretty straight today)
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To: Monty22
here's a shot from the Nasa archives.

Gusev Crater

http://marsoweb.arc.nasa.gov/landingsites/sites/Gusev_Crater/

12 posted on 03/09/2004 7:51:57 PM PST by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi Mac ... Support Our Troops! ... Defeat the demRats in November!!! ... Beat BoXer!!!)
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To: NormsRevenge
Guess they need to add those Retro Rockets!

Or more parachutes, that rock sucks you in fast!
13 posted on 03/09/2004 8:01:16 PM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach (The terrorists and their supporters declared war on the United States - and war is what they got!!!!)
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To: Burkeman1
I don't know about Mars, but I attended a meeting in Albuquerque where some Los Alamos scientists had a way using nuclear powered heaters ( I think it was ) they said they could extract water on the Moon from the compounds in the various rocks !

So I think it would be possible !
14 posted on 03/09/2004 8:05:02 PM PST by Ernest_at_the_Beach (The terrorists and their supporters declared war on the United States - and war is what they got!!!!)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
Yup, they messed up atmosphere or descent-wise... not much room for error..

Here's a site to check out when you're bored.

Rover Landing Sites.. quite an set of shots from all over Mars...

15 posted on 03/09/2004 8:05:14 PM PST by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi Mac ... Support Our Troops! ... Defeat the demRats in November!!! ... Beat BoXer!!!)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
Check this one out. Interactive Data Maps

I don't know what the heck it all is , but it looks cool. ;-)

The MOC images are pretty good too.

16 posted on 03/09/2004 8:11:13 PM PST by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi Mac ... Support Our Troops! ... Defeat the demRats in November!!! ... Beat BoXer!!!)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
If so- it would make any attempt at permanent settlement of Mars so much more cost effective that I can't even imagine.
17 posted on 03/09/2004 8:15:44 PM PST by Burkeman1
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To: NormsRevenge
Richard C. Hoagland will undoubtedly lapse into another psychotic episode of paranoia when he reads the final paragraph of that BBC News article regarding the ill-fated landing attempt by the European Beagle 2 rover.

"The meeting was also told that an unidentified object could be seen in the image taken immediately after Beagle was ejected from its mothership, Mars Express, five days prior to the landing attempt."

18 posted on 03/09/2004 8:19:49 PM PST by Unmarked Package
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To: Unmarked Package
lol on Richard H. and ufo.

Thanks for the reminder, btw I got to tune in early tonight to CoasttoCoastAM. In the First Hour: Geologist Jim Berkland (syzygyjob.com) will discuss earthquakes in Wyoming and Yellowstone.

19 posted on 03/09/2004 8:26:14 PM PST by NormsRevenge (Semper Fi Mac ... Support Our Troops! ... Defeat the demRats in November!!! ... Beat BoXer!!!)
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
I still think they landed somewhere here in Wyoming. We had water at times.
20 posted on 03/09/2004 8:30:08 PM PST by Big Horn (A waist is a terrible thing to mind.)
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