March 13, 2004

I am crossposting this because it is so darn cool.

jacob navia wrote:

At the Mars Path Finder site, you can see
a rock covered with small blue round stuff.

http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/MPF/...atsuperres.jpg

They didn't carry a microscope that time. Sejourner was
just too small.

Now *that* is pretty darn interesting.

Meet 'Barnacle Bill' :

http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/MPF/...nsPanglyph.jpg

Here is the available spectroscopy.

http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/MPF/ops/apxs-bb1.html
http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/MPF/...x-res2-ox.html

Looks like there are a lot of 'spherule' producing 'rocks' in the area.

http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/MPF/...rnacleBill.jpg

And finally, we have 'Chimp' :

http://marsprogram.jpl.nasa.gov/MPF/ops/Sol72_Chimp.gif

Remember, we now think this is on the top layer of sediment of a flood
plain leading into a former ocean.

http://mars.sgi.com/science/mineralogy.html

"If they are fully crystalline igneous rocks,"

"We do not presently know whether these are igneous (crystallized from a melt),
sedimentary (grains/fragments deposited by wind or water or precipitates),
or metamorphic rocks (deformed)."

Andesite my ass. Yet another Hap McSween screwup.

Welcome to the new Mars.

Thomas Lee Elifritz
http://elifritz.members.atlantic.net