NASA Rover Nears Rim of Giant Crater on Mars

NASA Rover Nears Rim of Giant Crater on Mars

The Opportunity rover is less than 50 meters from the crater rim and is
due to pull up to it later this week

http://www.scientificamerican.com/ar...nears-rim-of-g

"This is a crater that pre-existed any of the sedimentary material that
we've seen so far," Arvidson said. Opportunity's visit represents "us
trying to get at that early period of time that may have been conducive
to life."

Once Opportunity reaches the crater, it could spend years studying the
area, if it is up to the task.

See:
http://www.scientificamerican.com/ar...nears-rim-of-g

ScienceShot: Rover Takes a Deep Look Into Mars

http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceno...a-deep-lo.html

"Yesterday, after a 3-year, 21-kilometer journey at top speeds of less
than 0.2 kilometer per hour, the Opportunity rover finally arrived at
Mars's Endeavour crater. The intrepid explorer had already poked into 11
craters, the largest 750-meter-wide, 70-meter-deep Victoria, and
analyzed rocks and soil along 33 kilometers of track. But the geologic
story it read there always spoke of an ancient martian wasteland of
windblown dunes pocked by the occasional acid-laced puddle. Now that it
has arrived at 22-kilometer-wide, 300-meter-deep Endeavour, Opportunity
may be on the brink of rock from earlier, more hospitable times in
martian history. NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has detected clay in
rock of the crater rim exposed by the far larger impact explosion that
created Endeavour. And the presence of clay tells geologists that water
altered the rock under far milder, presumably more habitable conditions
than those that produced the rock Opportunity or any other rover has
analyzed to date".

Sam Wormley wrote in
:

NASA Rover Nears Rim of Giant Crater on Mars

The Opportunity rover is less than 50 meters from the crater rim and
is due to pull up to it later this week

http://www.scientificamerican.com/ar...er-nears-rim-o
f-g

"This is a crater that pre-existed any of the sedimentary material
that we've seen so far," Arvidson said. Opportunity's visit represents
"us trying to get at that early period of time that may have been
conducive to life."

Once Opportunity reaches the crater, it could spend years studying the
area, if it is up to the task.


IF its solar panels hold out.

Brad Guth wrote in news:5146ce8d-3f55-4c29-8d07-
:

On Aug 10, 2:18*pm, Sam Wormley wrote:
ScienceShot: Rover Takes a Deep Look Into Mars

http://news.sciencemag.org/scienceno...enceshotrover-
takes-...

"Yesterday, after a 3-year, 21-kilometer journey at top speeds of less
than 0.2 kilometer per hour, the Opportunity rover finally arrived at
Mars's Endeavour crater. The intrepid explorer had already poked into
11
craters, the largest 750-meter-wide, 70-meter-deep Victoria, and
analyzed rocks and soil along 33 kilometers of track. But the geologic
story it read there always spoke of an ancient martian wasteland of
windblown dunes pocked by the occasional acid-laced puddle. Now that
it
has arrived at 22-kilometer-wide, 300-meter-deep Endeavour,
Opportunity
may be on the brink of rock from earlier, more hospitable times in
martian history. NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has detected clay
in
rock of the crater rim exposed by the far larger impact explosion that
created Endeavour. And the presence of clay tells geologists that
water
altered the rock under far milder, presumably more habitable
conditions
than those that produced the rock Opportunity or any other rover has
analyzed to date".

Perhaps that old dried out clay will make for some really nifty china
that'll only have to sell for several million dollars per kg.

A whole dinning set of china that's made of Mars clay, for the White
House should only cost us a few billion extra.

What use would china be to this president? Maybe a 32oz McDonald's paper
drink cup...

Give it up, kids, stop playing and find a real job. If life was going to be
on Mars, it would have been found long ago. A dead world- that won't
change- stop spending money we don't already have playing around in the
dirt.

"Sam Wormley" wrote in message
...
NASA Rover Nears Rim of Giant Crater on Mars

The Opportunity rover is less than 50 meters from the crater rim and is
due to pull up to it later this week

http://www.scientificamerican.com/ar...nears-rim-of-g

"This is a crater that pre-existed any of the sedimentary material that
we've seen so far," Arvidson said. Opportunity's visit represents "us
trying to get at that early period of time that may have been conducive to
life."

Once Opportunity reaches the crater, it could spend years studying the
area, if it is up to the task.

See:
http://www.scientificamerican.com/ar...nears-rim-of-g

On 11/08/2011 12:46, Bill Able wrote:
Give it up, kids, stop playing and find a real job. If life was going to be on Mars, it would have been found long ago. A dead world- that won't change- stop spending money we don't already have playing around in the dirt.

How would it have been found 'long ago' and by what/who?

We have only just started exploring Mars with basic instruments,
like these.

What we need to do is prevent fundamental right wing morons
from cutting science budgets. Science is the only way forward
and creates both jobs and wealth, as well as being the only way
to increase our understanding of the universe (including ourselves
and why we let tribal attitudes dominate our politics, to the
detriment of every living creature on earth.)
--
Rob

Rob:
What we need to do is prevent fundamental right wing morons
from cutting science budgets.

A bit late for that.

Science is the only way forward
and creates both jobs and wealth,

Thanks in large part to cowardly Democrats who enabled Reagan's voodoo
economics and President Cheney's crimes and follies, we are hostage to
people who do not want to move forward, who create jobs in slave-labor
states, and who don't need science to create wealth.

as well as being the only way
to increase our understanding of the universe (including ourselves
and why we let tribal attitudes dominate our politics, to the
detriment of every living creature on earth.)

The people I'm referring to either don't care about understanding the
universe, or are incapable of understanding the world around them, or
don't need to understand anything because their Bible lays it out in
simple terms.

The detriment of living creatures? The wealthy can create their own
micro-environments where reality does not intrude.

Davoud

--
I agree with almost everything that you have said and almost everything that
you will say in your entire life.

usenet *at* davidillig dawt cawm

In Davoud wrote:

Thanks in large part to cowardly Democrats who enabled Reagan's voodoo
economics and President Cheney's crimes and follies, we are hostage to
people who do not want to move forward, who create jobs in slave-labor
states, and who don't need science to create wealth.

When you demand that politicians be placed in charge of funding
and directing research, don't be surprised to wake up one morning to
find that politicians are in charge of funding and directing
research.

You asked for it, you got it.

--
St. Paul, MN

Davoud;
Thanks in large part to cowardly Democrats who enabled Reagan's voodoo
economics and President Cheney's crimes and follies, we are hostage to
people who do not want to move forward, who create jobs in slave-labor
states, and who don't need science to create wealth.

Bert Hyman:
When you demand that politicians be placed in charge of funding
and directing research, don't be surprised to wake up one morning to
find that politicians are in charge of funding and directing
research.

You asked for it, you got it.

That's a bit simplistic. Politicians have been in charge of funding the
entire space program (all countries), the eradication of polio and
smallpox, the construction of the Interstate Highway System, and
countless other beneficial programs.

It only requires right-minded, progressive politicians to make the
funding decisions. If we don't have such politicians in office, that's
a separate matter, one that I decline to argue here.

My opinion--based on having lived in various third-world countries in
Asia, Africa, and the Middle East from 1966-1993--is that the US is on
a planned, charted, and irreversible slide into third-world nation
status because such a slide will greatly benefit the few percent of the
population who control more than 80 percent of the nation's wealth.

Davoud

--
I agree with almost everything that you have said and almost everything that
you will say in your entire life.

usenet *at* davidillig dawt cawm

In Davoud wrote:

It only requires right-minded, progressive politicians to make the
funding decisions.

Elections are such a bother, aren't they?

--
St. Paul, MN