Movement on Mars

Mars has weather. Winds, storms, all kinds of things that can blow stuff around.

I'd imagine plenty of things move on Mars for numerous natural reasons.

Just putting that out there.

Quite a lot of stuff got disturbed by whatever happened there. Little rocks and some soil.

If it was indeed the laser, perhaps firing into the loose soil created a lot of gas/plasma that had this little explosive effect.

originally posted by: wildespace
Quite a lot of stuff got disturbed by whatever happened there. Little rocks and some soil.

Because of the increase in "dust" around the area, I suspect that they used the wire brush to clear off the rock with the divot in it just below the arrow and it disturbed the little pebbles above and around it. I sometimes wonder what criteria they use when they select objects to either drill or blast with the laser. They're often not the ones I would pick, but then they're not looking for the same things I am.

a reply to: Archivalist

Maybe the rover moved and not the rock. Would have to check to be sure, but I think that is what happened.

originally posted by: AtomicKangaroo
Mars has weather. Winds, storms, all kinds of things that can blow stuff around.

I'd imagine plenty of things move on Mars for numerous natural reasons.

Just putting that out there.

No way the rocks in that image were moved by wind. The air pressure on Mars is very low and it does not have much force behind it.

a reply to: wildespace

Nice image! Looks like it could of been a small explosion from the laser. If not something came out of the soil

originally posted by: Blue Shift

originally posted by: wildespace
Quite a lot of stuff got disturbed by whatever happened there. Little rocks and some soil.

Because of the increase in "dust" around the area, I suspect that they used the wire brush to clear off the rock with the divot in it just below the arrow and it disturbed the little pebbles above and around it. I sometimes wonder what criteria they use when they select objects to either drill or blast with the laser. They're often not the ones I would pick, but then they're not looking for the same things I am.

Looking at the images I do not see where they used the brush. They take images when the rover is brushing or drilling.

originally posted by: LookingAtMars

originally posted by: AtomicKangaroo
Mars has weather. Winds, storms, all kinds of things that can blow stuff around.

I'd imagine plenty of things move on Mars for numerous natural reasons.

Just putting that out there.

No way the rocks in that image were moved by wind. The air pressure on Mars is very low and it does not have much force behind it.

Good thing I didn't just mention wind then hey?

I still stand by something scientifically explainable being the cause, be it ground tremors, the rover doing something or yes, even wind.
There are no little green men on Mars trolling us.

Sadly I do not have the equipment right now to produce a 60mph wind to see if it could move a pebble.
Which is 20mph less than a category 1 hurricane.

Wonder how that 60mph here translates to a lower gravity, less dense atmosphere planet..... I mean surely a 60mph winds effects would be different in gravity that is less than half of Earths.

A 100kg rock on Earth would only be 38kg's on Mars.

a reply to: AtomicKangaroo

Good thing I only discounted the wind then

I am about 99.9% sure the laser had something to do with it, but it is Mars so you never know.