Mars dust bunny revisited

Interview on February 11, 2004, Ronald Greeley, Ph.D., Arizona State
University (one of the seven Chairs of the Science Operations Working Group
(SOWG) for Spirit and Opportunity)

http://www.earthfiles.com/news/news....tegory=Science

THERE IS A PHOTOGRAPH * I SAW IT MYSELF IN ONE OF THE PANORAMIC SHOTS * FROM
OPPORTUNITY OF THE BEDROCK IN THE BACK. THEN DOWN BELOW, THERE WAS A VERY
ODD 2-PRONGED OBJECT THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE HAVE BLOWN UP AND HAVE BEEN
DISCUSSING ON THE INTERNET. HAVE YOU SEEN IT AND WHAT COMMENT DO YOU HAVE?

Yes, it's interesting. But there are so many things on planetary surfaces
that we photograph and it's important to remember that effects of
illumination and viewing geometry have a big influence on what we see. It's
sort of like looking at mythical figures in clouds. You have to look at it
from different angles and under different lighting before you can really
say. So, this might be nothing more than an artifact of shadows and the
shape of the object.

BUT IT CERTAINLY LOOKS 2-DIMENSIONAL AND IT HAS A SORT OF ORGANIC QUALITY TO
IT. SERIOUSLY, COULD THERE BE SOMETHING LIKE A PLANT GROWING THERE?

If it were, that would be really something, I'd have to say! But I don't
think too many would hold with that notion, at least not until we get better
views of it and from different angles.

THEN IT'S THAT ISSUE AGAIN: YOU WOULD THINK THAT SOMEBODY WOULD WANT TO TAKE
THE ROVER AND GO RIGHT OVER TO THIS OBJECT AND FIND OUT WHAT IT WAS?

If it turned out that it was something we couldn't explain with lighting or
as a rock shape * certainly that would be an interesting thing to do * you
bet.