More on Mars "blueberries" -- Opportunity will head to big crater!

Space Daily ^ | March 18, 2004

[cogitator]

I knew that they had to send Opportunity to the big crater; there's nothing else around there to see, and the image indicates (as the article says) that there are bigger outcrops in that crater.

Opportunity ought to be able to set a Mars land speed record; that plain is FLAT.

[smith288]

That image gives me a MUCH better perspective on how big (small) that crater is... I havent been following for a few weeks

[Molly Pitcher]

More valuable info....

[anonymous_user]

Didn't Kerry promise that "opportunity will be headed into a big crater" if he's elected?

[ColoradoSlim]

Real interesten, but I don't give a hoot in heck about water on Mars, I want to know if they got any oil or gas up there! I just paid dang near $55 to gas up my pickup truck.

[cogitator]

That image gives me a MUCH better perspective on how big (small) that crater is...

It helps to be good, and it's even better to be lucky and good; they were extraordinarily fortunate to end up in that little crater, where they could get some nearly-immediate scientific results. Had they landed on the plain in between, they probably would have ignored the little crater and headed straight for the big one; and though it looks promising, that might not be a better scientific 'target'.

I just read an article that indicates they think they can get around a 200-sol lifetime out of each lander, so they've still got some time (Spirit is on sol 78, Opportunity is on sol 57).

[cogitator]

I want to know if they got any oil or gas up there!

No one is sure about that, but if so, the cost estimate on extraction and delivery is approximately:

$38,000,000,000 US/ barrel.

That probably won't be useful to your pickup truck.

[mvpel]

Unless the pickup truck is on Mars, of course.

[FreedomCalls]

I just read an article that indicates they think they can get around a 200-sol lifetime out of each lander, so they've still got some time (Spirit is on sol 78, Opportunity is on sol 57).

How long until the Earth and Mars are on opposite sides of the sun? We will lose contact before that. It takes Earth 182 days to get from one side to directly opposite on the other. The question is by how much does Mars lag behind?

[Elsie]

Mars takes 686.98 Earth days to complete an orbit around the Sun.

Go here to see a small sample.... http://www.humnet.ucla.edu/humnet/french/faculty/gans/java/SolarApplet.html


Get some FREE software HERE.... http://www.shatters.net/celestia/

[Phil V.]

If you'd like to be on or off this MARS ping list please FRail me.

[Phil V.]

Of particular interest is the blueberry triplet, which indicates that these geologic features grew in pre-existing wet sediments.

Here is a 3-D magnification I made of the "triplet". I call it the Martian Kochina doll.

[Darksheare]

Neat.

[azhenfud]

Top pic - is that Beagle's "landing spot" in upper right hand? The Crater?

[GeronL]

They kept asking "where is that darn hematite we saw from orbit??"

Its in the berries. haha

[FreedomCalls]

Mars takes 686.98 Earth days to complete an orbit around the Sun

So somewhere around the first of August we will cross behind the Sun to the opposite side from Mars. The mission will have to terminate at that point, unless the rovers can survive a 60-day or so loss of communications. So I don't think we can make it to a 200-day mission.

[djf]

I am not sure I buy the water deposition mineralization theory of what formed the berries.

There is certainly more than enouch rock around to form a basis of alot of items being covered by this hematite scenarion. But everything we see is uniformly round.

Having seen mineral depositions by evaporation, it will deposit on whatever's there. The berries are too perfect.

[Phil V.]

I'll go out on a limb and predict that sol-046 was the day that the break became apparent. I'll go out on a limb and say that this picture is central tio the great discovery . . .

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[fatima]

Phil V.,Please add me,thank you.