A New Mystery on Mars!

[n2doc]

by J. Major



After eight years on Mars, Opportunity is still going strong – and still discovering new things! “Completely new” things, in fact, to paraphrase principal investigator Steve Squyres…

While roaming about on Cape York, a large rise on the southwestern edge of Endeavour crater, Opportunity spied a bright vein of rock sticking up through the scrabbly Martian soil. It’s spotted these before, while on approach to Endeavour, but at that point the MER team had their sights set on reaching the crater. Now Opportunity’s spotted another vein, and it’s time to take a closer look!


What could this bright streak – nicknamed “Homestake” – be? It’s definitely something they haven’t come across yet on Mars… could it be some of those phyllosilicates that they’ve been searching for? Those are minerals that would basically “seal the deal” that this area had once been covered by salty water, so many millions – maybe even billions! – of years ago. The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter spotted evidence of these minerals from orbit back in 2009… could it be that now Opportunity, three years later and a couple hundred miles below, has literally run across some?

“These are different than anything from anything we’ve ever seen with either rover, a completely new thing on Mars, never seen anywhere. And we’re pretty charged up about it.”

– Steve Squyres, Cornell University, MER principal investigator

more

http://lightsinthedark.wordpress.com/2011/11/05/a-new-mystery-on-mars/#more-3845

[MineralMan]

1. It's foundation stones from Atlantis!!!11!

That's what it is. Atlantis was blown clear to Mars in a cataclysmic explosion. Or was it a controlled launch? (wink, wink, nudge, nudge.) Why won't the government tell us the truth. We have the right to know, you know. :sarcasm:

[Javaman]

17. That would be Space-lantis, thank you very much!!

:rofl:

[ZombieHorde]

2. It's a fossil of a giant spider leg! nt

[RoccoR5955]

3. Too bad NASA doesn't get the funding it deserves.

or we would have landed PEOPLE on Mars already.
We have to go there. Too many questions about our neighbor planet.

[itsrobert]

4. Let's send Arnold over there to turn on the oxygen machine

n/t

[yurbud]

6. I would be in favor of sending Arnold without any oxygen machine.

[drokhole]

7. Agreed! Hey, Arnold - "get your ass to Mahs."

[krispos42]

15. "it's a femur!" n/t

[leveymg]

5. Fossilized Martian giant! Now we have to find that $250 billion.

[wtmusic]

8. evidence of intelligent life

[nilram]

9. Marshenge. Martian Druids. I knew it.

[unionworks]

10. let them discover gold on mars

Or oil, and watch how fast NASA gets funding. The space program was for a time when we still had something like a real government. The crooked corporation that America has become has no need for lofty ambition. If this planet gets too fucked up to live on, they will fly away on little privatized spaceships.

[Kablooie]

11. Rock solid evidence of rocks on Mars! Whooeee!

[thelordofhell]

12. Martian Crab Legs

mmmmmmm

[jakeXT]

13. more pictures

http://roadtoendeavour.wordpress.com/

[frogmarch]

14. Scale? How big is it?

Intriguing!

[WillParkinson]

16. Take a look at JakeXT's post...

There's some more pictures that show it doesn't seem to be overly large. The rover's arm is bigger in the views I've seen.

[sakabatou]

18. Haven't they found opal on Mars?

If so, then Mars definitely was covered by water.