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Mars Sample Return - The Real Space Race



 
 
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  #1  
Old November 17th 03, 05:03 AM
Alain Fournier
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Default Mars Sample Return - The Real Space Race

Henry Spencer wrote:

In article ,
ed kyle wrote:


Who will be first to bring back a piece of Mars?



Several meteorite collectors have already managed it.

(And a sample you get from on or near the Martian surface actually isn't
likely to be much less random than the meteorites. Geologists would be
much more interested in bedrock from a known location than in random
surface rubble of unknown origin. But that's going to take drilling,
and not just a couple of meters down either.)


Isn't there any places on Mars where the surface is bedrock?

Alain Fournier

  #2  
Old November 17th 03, 08:31 PM
James G
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Default Mars Sample Return - The Real Space Race

One thing I have never seen addressed or maybe I missed it when there
was a big hub-bub about it, but...

How do they *know* these meteorites actually came from Mars?

Even if they have the right spectral and chemical composition, a rock
is a rock isn't it?

TIA,
James

On Sun, 16 Nov 2003 20:03:06 -0800 (PST), Alain Fournier
wrote:
Henry Spencer wrote:

In article ,
ed kyle wrote:
Who will be first to bring back a piece of Mars?

Several meteorite collectors have already managed it.

Isn't there any places on Mars where the surface is bedrock?


  #3  
Old November 17th 03, 08:46 PM
Pat Flannery
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Default Mars Sample Return - The Real Space Race

James G wrote:

One thing I have never seen addressed or maybe I missed it when there
was a big hub-bub about it, but...

How do they *know* these meteorites actually came from Mars?

Even if they have the right spectral and chemical composition, a rock
is a rock isn't it?

TIA,


IIRC it was due to the composition of gases that were trapped in the
rock, and which were a dead-on match for the Martian atmosphere as
analyzed by the Viking landers.

Pat

  #4  
Old November 20th 03, 04:29 AM
Andrew Gray
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Default Mars Sample Return - The Real Space Race

In article , James G wrote:
One thing I have never seen addressed or maybe I missed it when there
was a big hub-bub about it, but...

How do they *know* these meteorites actually came from Mars?

Even if they have the right spectral and chemical composition, a rock
is a rock isn't it?


An article on the SNC meteorites - the group of "known" Mars-originating
meteorites - can be found at

http://scienceworld.wolfram.com/astr...eteorites.html

(They announced the identification of another one quite recently, IIRC -
we're up to about 30. http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/snc/ has a list)

--
-Andrew Gray


  #5  
Old November 20th 03, 06:56 AM
CL Vancil
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Default Mars Sample Return - The Real Space Race

Alain Fournier wrote in message .. .
Henry Spencer wrote:

In article ,
ed kyle wrote:


Who will be first to bring back a piece of Mars?



Several meteorite collectors have already managed it.

(And a sample you get from on or near the Martian surface actually isn't
likely to be much less random than the meteorites. Geologists would be
much more interested in bedrock from a known location than in random
surface rubble of unknown origin. But that's going to take drilling,
and not just a couple of meters down either.)


Isn't there any places on Mars where the surface is bedrock?


Yes there are many place bedrock is exposed. Many other types of rock
and dust are of interest for geologists and folks designing spacesuit
and other equipment for Mars.

--Chris Vancil

 




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