Mars - Meridiani Planum Region - May 21, 2004

Looking for some help with this image found on the Nasa Site. I'm sure that some of you will be able to use your skills to help me identify what is on the surface in this image.
To me it looks like, for lack of a better word, a railroad tie. I'm sure it's not but does look like wood. Could I possibly get some help with this? When you get to the Nasa site scroll down to May 24th.
marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov...





[edit on 1/31/2008 by Vulgate]

reply to post by Vulgate


I did not find a railroad tie. Can you link directly to the image to make sure we are both looking at the same image?

BTW, i did find this one. It looks like someone put TNT into a boulder out on a dry river bed:

marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov...

When you get to the Nasa site, click on 2004. Then scroll down to May 24th. there are about four images you can click on.

[edit on 1/31/2008 by Vulgate]

Here is a link to the first image:

marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov...

and to the page that the images come from:

marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov...

I assume this is correct? There isn't an entry for 5-21-04, but this is from 5-24-04, and there is something that appears to be a railroad tie on it.

I will be back later with my input! (gotta go to my desktop system to use photoshop, etc)

reply to post by bigfatfurrytexan
Thank you sir. I've changed the url it works right now. Always Loved Texas. Great place and Great people.

I have looked this image over (at least, to some degree).

I trimmed out your "railroad tie" so that it is easier to discern. I also sharpened it a little. I am pathetic at this sort of thing when compared to the likes of Internos or Zarniwoop....but here is my humble effort:




To support your theory of what this object is, it sits in what appears to be a blueberry strewn stretch of dry river bed or ocean basin. There is a tiling of flat "flagstones" all over the ground, curving with the contour of the land.

This doesn't look like a railroad tie as it appears to be twisted. Possibly it was something along those lines at one point in antiquity...but it is hard to make out what function it would have had if it is organic in nature.

I think this was discussed on one of the myriad Mars threads on this site....Zorgon would be of more help (if not Zarni or Internos, or a few dozen others). Lets see if they stop by.

Regards (and thanks for the kind words about Texas).

Grat work, bigfatfurrytexan: stars for you. This image has been discussed many times but so far i haven't heard a convincing explanation about it.
The object has been spotted the first time by Opportunity NAvigation Camera on SOL 115,(for example, here),
marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov...

116 (for example, here):
marsrover.nasa.gov...

Here can be found the whole SOL 116 series:
marsrover.nasa.gov...

Three days after, on SOL 119, Opportunity was still there, as can be seen in this pic:
marsrover.nasa.gov...
Here can be found the whole SOL 119 series:
marsrover.nasa.gov...

Now, there's another "little mystery" about these series: where are the two series

SOL 117 and SOL 118? The rover didn't stop to take photographs, since SOL 117 and

SOL 118 are available for Panoramic Camera, which series can be found here
marsrover.nasa.gov...
and here
marsrover.nasa.gov...

As said, just a little mystery, but even the Microscopic imager "jumps" from SOL 108 to SOL 121. I point out that a ATSer, QuietSoul, already noticed it on 2004

Now, about the object:

it has been spotted near Endurance crater;
www.nasa.gov...
i've read somewhere someone guessing that it's a common texture of a common rock: well, maybe it's a rock, but of course NOT common at all: the texture IS engraved,

so it would be interesting to find out if there are other rocks with the same
features: and it would be interesting to take a look at the MISSING microscopic images.
Pheraps it's just a coincidence, but a really, really odd one: i mean, ok for the shape by itselfs or for the texture by itselfs, but both together it's a odd coincidence: i don't like to jump to conclusions, but to claim that it's a common rock is like to claim that it's a beam of wood: i'd say that it's a very odd rock to say the least. Sorry for not being helpful.

My thing is that most of the rocks in this area seems to have accretions of blueberries. These are not evident on this rock.

Its relative color might make it similar to many of the boulders in the area...but i don't buy that.

It looks like we are only seeing the very top of whatever it is. It appears that an unspecified amount of it lay buried.

To be a rock, it would need to be somthing similiar to sandstone, i believe, for the striations to match anything like Earthbound geology.

reply to post by internos


Whats that in the corner (circled in green)? Maybe another blueberry, looks imbedded... I wonder if the items I have highlighted in red are all 'relative' to each other, other than being in the same vicinty....?










[edit on 1-2-2008 by spikedmilk]

i am on my laptop (no photoshop), so i cannot post it...

...but if you look on the original image, in the upper left, you can see where there is something on the surface, sitting there. But it is whited out.

Just another anomoly.

There was a thread on this FOUR YEARS AGO

.....ah yes! Here it is

ATS THREAD.....
A BEAM OF WOOD....ON MARS!!!..form 2004

Cheers

AoN

[edit on 1-2-2008 by Anomic of Nihilism]

[edit on 1-2-2008 by Anomic of Nihilism]

Originally posted by spikedmilk


Whats that in the corner (circled in green)? Maybe another blueberry, looks imbedded... I wonder if the items I have highlighted in red are all 'relative' to each other, other than being in the same vicinty....?

No idea the small pieces may have been brought there by the wind: many rover pictures shows such "compilations" of small parts, but it does not make me think something of particular.

Originally posted by bigfatfurrytexan
i am on my laptop (no photoshop), so i cannot post it...

...but if you look on the original image, in the upper left, you can see where there is something on the surface, sitting there. But it is whited out.

Just another anomoly.

Well, i've ignored it just because most likely that's Opportunity's heatshield, (aeroshell) released after the impact:

mars.jpl.nasa.gov...
antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov...
msnbcmedia4.msn.com...

I know, it's strange that it has been catched by the Nav Cam instead of ther Rear Cam, but we don't know the exact path followed by opportunity: i mean we know the path but not its orientation during the shots: but that is, if you ask me.

[edit on 1/2/2008 by internos]