Rovers on Mars

Tomorrow!?! I thought they were going to tell us next week. How exciting. Has anyone seen the so called pasta images? The corkscrew bits in the rock?

Farmerman, yes I think there is abundant evidence of moving water on Mars also. But I was trying to limit my statement to what evidence has shown up in the rover photo's. I've seen no evidence of movement in those, but there are a lot I have not seen. The 3D photo's are on the rover (NASA) web site. You need special glasses though.

Hi K,

Yeh, I can't wait for that news conference

The "Pasta" image you mentioned is actually in one of the images I posted Wed Feb 25, 2004 1:15 am. It's the image with two sliced spherules.

A magnified version is below:



"Opportunity's Microscopic Imager found this intriguing object, looking more like Rotini pasta. Its odd shape has stirred up Mars researchers, both inside and outside of the NASA Mars Rover Exploration team. Whether or not this object is related to biology has prompted a variety of views."

This time I'll sit and quietly wait for the conference.

thanks rosborne! Sure is interesting, ain't it?

acquiunk-I think it was satt that posted some pictures of low angle cross beds. This looks like a slow moving stream deposit , I just jumped ahhead based on similarities from earth structures

Those little corkscrews have a similar biont here on earth. it was a mollusk that was adapted to large tidal sweeps and shallow environments. It was called Turitella. the paleo guys use these to distinguish environments when they are trying to locate foreland areas. It would be amazing if
1.they were biological
2they were an adaptation that showed a similar response to an environment seen on earth.

im not gonna say anything cuz Id be writing science fiction and not fact. So we all wait and see.

what time do they go on?

wait, you JUST did say something.....

2pm eastern, so it says above.

I like to hypothesize, if youre right its ok, if youre wrong, then I learn why my hypothesis didnt hold water. Nobody loses.

Yeh, the only thing more interesting that I can think of, would be a beautiful woman who thought this stuff was interesting

Unfortunately I have an FAA exam at 2pm, which conflicts with the NASA conference, but I'll be looking for a news station right after that... just what I need, more distraction from my test

I'm guessing that they will say there was water, but that they will not imply any biology in the micrographs. If they thought there was biology in those rocks, I don't think they would be leaving the crater any time soon (current plans are to drive the rover away from the crater and out onto the plain). But I guess we'll find out in a few hours. I can't wait.

Well, they announced water, in large amounts. Farmerman was right the rocks are cross bedded which suggests moving water.

But nothing about the "Pasta" rock .....

They are not going any further out on a limb than they absolutely have to. This is a major announcement in and of it's self.

The Opportunity rover has acomplished one of major tasks .. finding an evidence of abundant water in the past.
If it can tell the history of the water environments it will be far better than expected.

I missed the news conference today. So they announced water. Acquiunk, remember , most of the team members are academics. they will guard their little pieces until they can publish. damn , Ill probably see it in a monograph before the taxpayers get the full story. Oh well, Ive worked for oil companies. They make the CIA look like a tabloid.

These are the crucial parts of the NASA press release with a link to the whole

Opportunity Rover Finds Strong Evidence Meridiani Planum Was Wet

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.

The rover found a very high concentration of sulfur in the outcrop with its alpha particle X-ray spectrometer,

"The chemical form of this sulfur appears to be in magnesium, iron or other sulfate salts," said Dr. Benton Clark of Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver. "Elements that can form chloride or even bromide salts have also been detected."

At the same location, the rover's Mössbauer spectromete….detected a hydrated iron sulfate mineral called jarosite.


The water evidence from the rocks' physical appearance comes in at least three categories,…. indentations called "vugs," spherules and crossbedding.

Opportunity hint the crossbedding bears hallmarks of water action, such as the small scale of the crossbedding and possible concave patterns formed by sinuous crestlines of underwater ridges.

Link to NASA press release

HMMM JAROSITE. iTS A HYDRATED k, Fe sulfate. it usually forms in cracks in a slow moving soupy warm water .we use argentojarosite as an indicator of silver ores and more. goddam , this is turning into an ole prospectors mode of determination. The x-ray takes pictures of the xls and determines their exact structure, every mineral has some unique xl character. Actually, this is something a reasonably astute rockhound could tell(of course, none volunteered for the trip)

vugs (not a rock band bi-polar), are usually wet gas pockets in which xls precipitate or otherwise form. they form "swiss cheese' like holes. One of the most easily recognized case of vug deposits are the amethyst crystals from the Rio del Sul in Minas gerias brazil. they sell these things in tourist rock shops . The xls look like they form inside a rock "skin"

So they mentioned the cross bedding as slow water/ and that didnt seem to bother them with the formation of jarosite/ hmmmm. it must mean that there was a high concentration of salt water even though it was moving.

very very cool.( made this ole rocknockers day)

I expect one day science will learn more about evolution from information from Mars. Hope I am still around to read about it.

Wowsa! I missed the news too, I listened to npr off and on all day, but was away from my computer.

Thanks for the news and links!

Farmerman, Satts, and Rosborne,

Thank you for keeping this thread going. I hope that you will be able to keep it up.

Farmerman (or anyone that knows I guess...),

Can you explain how these Spherules can form as concretions which are so consistantly "spherical"? If they form in those cracks in the rocks, then why don't they have some deformation to them which matches the cracks they formed in?

And don't most concretions have internal structures which show the concentric rings of accumulation?

I guess I'm just having trouble picturing how they formed.

Thanks,