Mars Rover Spirit Mission Update Thread

[spacechump]

Those are some excellent views Mike. I just may have to throw some true color into them<br /><br />Edit: Ahhh..how I miss L4.

 

[fangsheath]

It's not in color, but I find this view quite interesting, partly for the diversity of forms, but also for the sense of intimacy it gives for the slopes of Husband Hill. We really are not that far away from all this.

 

[fangsheath]

According to the most recent flight director's update, the RAT took a mere 2.5 h to make an 8-mm hole in Clovis. This suggests that Clovis, like Sabre, is a soft rock. Contrast this, for example, with 4 h to drill a 2.5-mm hole in Humphrey, and almost 4 h to drill a 3.8-m hole in New York.

 

[mikehoward]

It <i>looks</i> soft. Check this out (again, false color):

 

[fangsheath]

Clovis displays a structure that is increasingly familiar, very much like that of Sabre, except here we can see the rock in vertical section as well. We see patches of light-colored material and on top a kind of wavy texture. On the sides we see clear layering and nodules. I certainly hope we hear about chemistry in the upcoming briefing.<br /><br />It should be apparent that I have not attempted to achieve "true" color here.

 

[jaredgalen]

First of all I'm a totally ignorant when it comes to geology and rock morpholgy type things.<br />I'm just curious about some things.<br /><br />In the image I have linked all the rocks have a remarkably similar orientation.<br />Is this just due to wind erosion and if so, are the winds on mars so unchanging except for the odd dust storm?<br />Looking at the soil around the rocks and the rocks themselves it tells me, the uninitiated I remind you, that the wind direction is VERY consistent. <br />Is the weather on mars so unchanging?<br /><br />http://qt.exploratorium.edu/mars/spirit/pancam/2004-08-15/2P145449392EFF8500P2275L5M1.JPG

 

[mikehoward]

That is a good point. I vaguely remember at the Pathfinder site they concluded that the rocks were all tilted in the same direction because of flooding, as in water flow. What does it say about this site?

 

[fangsheath]

To my eye these rocks are laminated. Fractures have tended to occur along the laminations, resulting in relatively flat rocks that all have a similar orientation. It's not that the wind has placed them this way; they are reflecting the fact that they were originally all part of the same bedrock. But to answer your question about wind, certainly the wind changes, but there is such a thing as the prevailing wind. That is why large dunes often occur in parallel series with a particular orientation in a given area.<br /><br />This outcrop, not far away, is another example of layering. Unfortunately it is on a south-facing slope, but I expect there will be others that have a better orientation.

 

[rogers_buck]

In the latest batch of outCROP CIRCLES!!! There appears to be a blueberry looking light patch in the upper left-hand corner. Is that a blue berry?<br /><br />http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/all/2/m/217/2M145632135EFF8500P2959M2M1.HTML<br />

 

[mikehoward]

Here's one just because. It's crudely stitched together and I have attempted to adjust the colors to something "naturalish" (though still not accurate), but you should get the idea.<br /><br />Link to full-res: http://img14.exs.cx/img14/1079/Spirit219_fcL2L5L6_view_b.jpg<br /> <br />Edit: Better yet, since two more frames came down: http://img44.exs.cx/img44/5053/Spirit219_L2L5L6_bigview.jpg<br /><br />Second Edit: Or better yet, how about properly rotated: http://img64.exs.cx/img64/1795/Spirit219_L2L5L6_viewr.jpg

 

[mikehoward]

<blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr /><p>To my eye these rocks are laminated.<p><hr /></p></p></blockquote><br /><br />Fang,<br /><br />Thanks for that. I've got a lot of research to do into geology.

 

[mikehoward]

Don't forget: briefing tomorrow (Aug. 18).

 

[fangsheath]

Yet another tidbit comes from today's flight director's report. With regard to spectrometry on Clovis, and I quote, "...the scientists are excited about the prospects of what they'll find." Again this suggests to me that they are finding evidence of water-mediated processes in the Columbia Hills. Actually, to be pedantic about it, the quote is, "...the scientists are excited about the prospects of what they foun - what they'll find." I hope we get something substantial tomorrow, all of these tidbits are a bit maddening, and frankly, I have been less than impressed with the scientific substance of most previous press briefings. I can see what the vehicle is up to, thanks to Jim Bell. I want to know what it has found, and not 6 months ago on a basaltic plain.

 

[radarredux]

1pm EDT, or 10am PDT. By the way, I noticed DirecTV has NASA TV again. For those with a fast enough web connection and a RealPlayer or Microsoft Media Player, you can pick up the feed at<br />http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/index.html<br /><br />August 18, Wednesday<br />1 p.m. - Mars Rover Briefing - JPL (Interactive Media Briefing)<br />3 p.m. - 7 p.m. - Live Interviews "Out From The Shadows: Two New Moons of Saturn" - JPL (One-Way Media Interviews)<br />

 

[fangsheath]

To add to what was said at the press briefing, not only does Clovis contain higher amounts of sulfur, chlorine, and bromine than Humphrey, it contains much higher amounts of potassium and lower amounts of chromium. In fact the APXS spectrum is not too different from that of McKittrick in Eagle Crater - there is even more chlorine. It is reasonable to suppose that Clovis contains a lot of sulfates, chlorides, and bromides. There is plenty of iron, the Mossbauer should tell us a great deal.

 

[gpurcell]

Looks like the Chlorine peak is higher at Clovis...which is interesting, considering the increasing chlorine levels at Endurance...

 

[ilbasso]

Strictly a sightseeing question: When was the last Sol that Spirit was able to see its lander? Can someone mark up one of the latest cylindrical projections from West Spur to show the approximate lander location and that of Bonneville Crater?

 

[mah_fl]

Todays breifing, 18 Aug 2004, is archived on C-Span, get before it is removed <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /> <br /><br />http://www.cspan.org/search/basic.asp?ResultStart=1&ResultCount=10&BasicQueryText=mars&image1.x=0&image1.y=0&image1=Submit

 

[fangsheath]

This shot is looking west toward Bonneville Crater, which can be seen on the horizon. The lander is to the left of Bonneville. Even the Pancam would have difficulty resolving the lander at this distance. Below is a shot of Husband Hill, including West Spur, from the lander. West Spur is on the extreme right. Imagine how difficult it would be to pick out the rover in this shot. Perhaps if we climb to the summit of Husband Hill we might be able to catch a glimpse of the lander.

 

[fangsheath]

One thing Squyres glossed over is the rather fine layering displayed by many of these rocks (although he acknowledged that he had only seen the "layered outcrop" the day before) and what look like concretions. Although the rocks in this group are said to be spectrally similar to the basalts on the plain, I am by no means convinced that they are in fact basalts. To my eye the structure closely resembles that of Clovis from the side (see above post 8/13/04, 03:26 P.M.). And it is not hard to imagine Pot of Gold looking like this before much of it weathered away. I am starting to wonder if the pyroxene and olivine seen in Pot of Gold were merely drift that filled the spaces between the hard "columns" after the bulk of the rock had been eroded away.<br /><br />Incidentally, the "Mission to Mars During the Third Millenium" web site is excellent: Frequently updated, very readable, no-nonsense summaries of the science results from this mission.<br />http://rst.gsfc.nasa.gov/Sect19/Sect19_13a.html<br />http://rst.gsfc.nasa.gov/Sect19/Sect19_13b.html

 

[fangsheath]

Just a note to RadarRedux, apparently I was incorrect about the "RAT hole," it was not a RAT hole but the result of brushing operations. This is why it was so superficial and produced offset markings. The spiral markings were from the brush.<br />

 

[bobw]

I had some good luck with an RGB stack of this one. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[bobw]

Here's a close-up of those rocks. I think I've learned some geology this year <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /> Those look like venifacts.<br /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[fangsheath]

It is unclear to me whether Spirit has finished with Clovis and is moving on or is merely re-positioning for another go at it. It made this brush "flower," then backed up, turning slightly, then moved forward alongside the outcrop. Perhaps they will not be taking a close look at Longhorn.

 

[bobw]

OK, here's the ultimate fantasy enhancement! I think it came out pretty good.<br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>