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unusual pebble shape



 
 
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  #1  
Old February 3rd 04, 06:57 AM
Paul Morris
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Default unusual pebble shape

In the "mission success" panorama

http://origin.mars5.jpl.nasa.gov/gal...B009R1_br2.jpg

there is visible a pebble or small stone that has a
very unusual shape: it appears to have two "stalks"
that protrude upwards (rather like the stalks
or antennae of a snail).

One can see the pebble by scrolling about 3/5 of the
way to the right, and about 3/5 of the way down,
in the panorama.

In the high resolution view, one of the stalks can be
seen to be casting a shadow.

Any idea how a stone with this unusual shape could
be formed? Or could it be some part of the rover
airbag that fell off while it was rolling?

PM

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  #2  
Old February 5th 04, 02:30 PM
Tony Belding
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Default The Little Critter at Meridiani

On 2004-02-02 23:57:38 -0600, (Paul Morris) said:

there is visible a pebble or small stone that has a
very unusual shape: it appears to have two "stalks"
that protrude upwards (rather like the stalks
or antennae of a snail).


I noticed that too, yesterday. It is visible more clearly in the
full-resolution TIFF image available from this page:

http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA05199

I don't see how that could be a rock, it really doesn't look like one at
all. I expect it's either some piece of debris that came off the
spacecraft, or else it could be what it looks like: a little critter
wandering across the sand, waving its antennae at us.

Somebody should ask JPL for an opinion of whether they can identify it as
anything they sent on the spacecraft. Taking another picture to see if it
has moved might be a good idea too.

Tony Belding, Hamilton Texas
  #3  
Old February 6th 04, 02:05 PM
Icarus
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Posts: n/a
Default unusual pebble shape

Paul Morris wrote:
In the "mission success" panorama


http://origin.mars5.jpl.nasa.gov/gal...B009R1_br2.jpg

there is visible a pebble or small stone that has a
very unusual shape: it appears to have two "stalks"
that protrude upwards (rather like the stalks
or antennae of a snail).

One can see the pebble by scrolling about 3/5 of the
way to the right, and about 3/5 of the way down,
in the panorama.

In the high resolution view, one of the stalks can be
seen to be casting a shadow.

Any idea how a stone with this unusual shape could
be formed? Or could it be some part of the rover
airbag that fell off while it was rolling?



Interestingly though, it doesn't appear in this image:

http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/galle...1P1528L0M1.JPG

Some hacker messing about, perhaps?


  #4  
Old February 6th 04, 06:10 PM
Icarus
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default The Little Critter at Meridiani

Tony Belding wrote:

On 2004-02-02 23:57:38 -0600, (Paul Morris)
said:

there is visible a pebble or small stone that has a
very unusual shape: it appears to have two "stalks"
that protrude upwards (rather like the stalks
or antennae of a snail).


I noticed that too, yesterday. It is visible more clearly in
the full-resolution TIFF image available from this page:

http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA05199

I don't see how that could be a rock, it really doesn't look
like one at all. I expect it's either some piece of debris
that came off the spacecraft, or else it could be what it
looks like: a little critter wandering across the sand, waving
its antennae at us.

Somebody should ask JPL for an opinion of whether they can
identify it as anything they sent on the spacecraft. Taking
another picture to see if it has moved might be a good idea
too.


The panorama pics were taken on Sol 002 and the navigation camera
pics that don't show the object were taken on Sol 005... so
whatever it was, it looks like it went sometime between those two
days. Is there anything that could have fallen off the
spacecraft and be light enough to be blown away by the thin
Martian air, I wonder?

Incidentally, the close-up pics of the exposed rock where the
rover has driven to are now available on the JPL website:

http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/galle...nity_n013.html


  #5  
Old February 6th 04, 11:42 PM
mars life 2004
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Default The Little Critter at Meridiani

Tony Belding wrote in message news:2004020507303924084%zobeid@techiecom...

Taking another picture to see if it

has moved might be a good idea too.

Tony Belding, Hamilton Texas



There is a navcam image and the object is not the

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/marslife/
  #6  
Old February 7th 04, 03:40 AM
Mike Swift
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Posts: n/a
Default The Little Critter at Meridiani

I suspect that this will be seen as proof by by Hogland (sp?) that
there is life on mars, and he will be on the Art Bell show tonight .

Mike Swift

In article ,
"Icarus" wrote:

Tony Belding wrote:

On 2004-02-02 23:57:38 -0600, (Paul Morris)
said:

there is visible a pebble or small stone that has a
very unusual shape: it appears to have two "stalks"
that protrude upwards (rather like the stalks
or antennae of a snail).


I noticed that too, yesterday. It is visible more clearly in
the full-resolution TIFF image available from this page:

http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA05199

I don't see how that could be a rock, it really doesn't look
like one at all. I expect it's either some piece of debris
that came off the spacecraft, or else it could be what it
looks like: a little critter wandering across the sand, waving
its antennae at us.

Somebody should ask JPL for an opinion of whether they can
identify it as anything they sent on the spacecraft. Taking
another picture to see if it has moved might be a good idea
too.


The panorama pics were taken on Sol 002 and the navigation camera
pics that don't show the object were taken on Sol 005... so
whatever it was, it looks like it went sometime between those two
days. Is there anything that could have fallen off the
spacecraft and be light enough to be blown away by the thin
Martian air, I wonder?

Incidentally, the close-up pics of the exposed rock where the
rover has driven to are now available on the JPL website:

http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/galle...nity_n013.html


  #7  
Old February 7th 04, 03:53 AM
Paul Morris
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default unusual pebble shape

In article , "Icarus"
wrote:

Paul Morris wrote:
In the "mission success" panorama



http://origin.mars5.jpl.nasa.gov/gal...B009R1_br2.jpg

there is visible a pebble or small stone that has a
very unusual shape: it appears to have two "stalks"
that protrude upwards (rather like the stalks
or antennae of a snail).
snip
In the high resolution view, one of the stalks can be
seen to be casting a shadow.

Any idea how a stone with this unusual shape could
be formed? Or could it be some part of the rover
airbag that fell off while it was rolling?



Interestingly though, it doesn't appear in this image:


http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/galle...1P1528L0M1.JPG

Some hacker messing about, perhaps?



That is one of the early images, with a resolution too low
to show any pebbles. No, this is a real feature. I guess it
is now thought likely to be some debris from the airbag.

PM

--
Email: lastname at best dot com. No spam please.
All spam will be complained to sender's ISP.
  #8  
Old February 7th 04, 01:55 PM
Nils O. Selåsdal
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Posts: n/a
Default The Little Critter at Meridiani

In article 2004020507303924084%zobeid@techiecom, Tony Belding wrote:
On 2004-02-02 23:57:38 -0600, (Paul Morris) said:

there is visible a pebble or small stone that has a
very unusual shape: it appears to have two "stalks"
that protrude upwards (rather like the stalks
or antennae of a snail).


I noticed that too, yesterday. It is visible more clearly in the
full-resolution TIFF image available from this page:

http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA05199

I don't see how that could be a rock, it really doesn't look like one at
all. I expect it's either some piece of debris that came off the
spacecraft, or else it could be what it looks like: a little critter
wandering across the sand, waving its antennae at us.

Ofcourse... Then again similar stones I've seen here were
actually stones.
  #9  
Old February 7th 04, 05:59 PM
Icarus
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default unusual pebble shape

Paul Morris wrote:

In the "mission success" panorama

http://origin.mars5.jpl.nasa.gov/gal...ity/20040202a/
MSPan_B1_2x-B009R1_br2.jpg

there is visible a pebble or small stone that has a
very unusual shape: it appears to have two "stalks"
that protrude upwards (rather like the stalks
or antennae of a snail).
snip
In the high resolution view, one of the stalks can be
seen to be casting a shadow.

Any idea how a stone with this unusual shape could
be formed? Or could it be some part of the rover
airbag that fell off while it was rolling?



Interestingly though, it doesn't appear in this image:



http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/galle...636065EFF0211P
1528L0M1.JPG

Some hacker messing about, perhaps?



That is one of the early images, with a resolution too low
to show any pebbles. No, this is a real feature. I guess it
is now thought likely to be some debris from the airbag.


I viewed the area from the two images at the same scale side by side,
and the resolution looks very similar to me. Very small pebbles
visible in the panorama shot are also visible in the navigation camera
shot (especially if you tweak the contrast and brightness), so I can't
really see how something as obvious as the object in the panorama shot
could be present at the time the second picture was taken and not be
visible at all.


  #10  
Old February 9th 04, 04:22 PM
albright
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Default unusual pebble shape

Icarus wrote:

I viewed the area from the two images at the same scale side by side,
and the resolution looks very similar to me.**Very*small*pebbles
visible in the panorama shot are also visible in the navigation camera
shot (especially if you tweak the contrast and brightness), so I can't
really see how something as obvious as the object in the panorama shot
could be present at the time the second picture was taken and not be
visible at all.


looks like the field is different in the two pictures and the
nav pictures does not go far enough "south" (if you see
what I mean) to get the object into view ...
 




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