Curiosity: Potential Anomalies (Update 01/2014)

originally posted by: funbox

odd looking lattice

sol 753 mast

Interesting find, Mr. funBox! The image below shows a similar 'terrestial' formation, located at Hole In The Rock in Utah:

Fullsize / Source

The guy who came across this rock also speculates it might be 'petrified roots'. Unfortunately, he doesn't seem to be a geologist but perhaps we will (at some point) come across similar terrestial lattice structures on a more geology oriented website so that we can clarify what we're looking at ...

a reply to: jeep3r

that interlaced dance organic fluid driven substances shape, when on the hunt for food wonderfully systematic, substrates have knowhere to hide stuff

talking of fluids



sol 765

does the drill use a coolant fluid that can exist in fluid form in the martian environs/atmos?

hmm im sure this has been pointed out before

funbox

originally posted by: funbox
does the drill use a coolant fluid that can exist in fluid form in the martian environs/atmos?

I doubt it, as it could contaminate the samples.

Those look like the results of condensation on the rover's surface, like what happened with Phoenix.

a reply to: ArMaP

would be interesting to see a selfie of the rover in the wee hours of the morning, say a couple of hours before sunrise, see if the rover looks frosty, the question I have is why haven't we seen more signs of water movement in the landscape/ excluding those pictures that were potentially, of course

whats so special about rock that it cant show condensation trail?

funbox

I know this doesn't seem all that interesting, but it is to me. Just the other day I was thinking how the rock and dirt on Mars has basically no silica sand. It's not like our deserts or beaches. And then here this is, which I believe is a little grain of silica:
mars.jpl.nasa.gov...

Or maybe it's an old, old egg of some kind (not likely).

originally posted by: funbox
whats so special about rock that it cant show condensation trail?

Probably too porous. The tiny little bit of condensed water can't soak into metal. That would be my guess.

a reply to: Blue Shift

Larvae??

originally posted by: Blue Shift
Probably too porous. The tiny little bit of condensed water can't soak into metal. That would be my guess.

And probably because metal is a better heat conductor than rock, so changes in temperature happen faster.

a reply to: ArMaP

in the thin atmos those changes must occur pretty quickly with the onset of dawn, first light must be like the sound of rice crispys .gasses escaping the rapidly heated surfaces, as heated ice volatizes from subsurfaces depths, I would have thought this repeated cycle would leave a bit more of a signature then the roughly unchanging appearance we see from day to day

funbox

originally posted by: Kandinsky
Larvae??

On the plus side, it does seem to have ringed transverse segmentation. It's not smooth. On the negative side, as clear as it is, it doesn't seem to have any internal structure. But it's very, very small, so it's hard to tell. I don't like to blow things up, because it can add features that aren't necessarily there, but in this case, it makes the segmentation a little easier to see:

originally posted by: funbox
in the thin atmos those changes must occur pretty quickly with the onset of dawn

On the other hand, the little droplets must linger long enough for them to roll around a little on the surface of the rover while it's moving, creating the trails. So it's definitely not an immediate evaporation. Makes me curious about how much water you could get out of a solar still like this one:

Still interesting, even on the blocky black and white image:
mars.jpl.nasa.gov...

Maybe we'll get a better look at it.

originally posted by: ArMaP
And probably because metal is a better heat conductor than rock, so changes in temperature happen faster.

Taking a little closer look, rather than water droplets, these look like little bits of rock that have bounced up there and slid around, creating the trails. Then they bounced off or were blown away.

Or maybe they're little bugs of some sort.

a reply to: jeep3r

I Love this Thread! There are definitely some stuff I would have to say are Non-Rocks here! - My opinion of course. - (Thought I would say that so now maybe I won't have to turn my Dragon's Flame against some other Fire headed my way! LOL!!)
I'll have to dig around in my photos. I have some pics that after pokin around on them, I found some rather peculiar items. I also have one of the Moon, that someone had found an anomaly in, and when I did a mega zoom in on it and looked around, found a couple other things there! Will try to look a bit later. Syx.

a reply to: Blue Shift

sluglikerock extremophiles creating little trails ?,and jumping too .. careful Mr Shift , that might be mildly too paradigm shifting for some

funbox

originally posted by: funbox
a reply to: ArMaP

would be interesting to see a selfie of the rover in the wee hours of the morning, say a couple of hours before sunrise, see if the rover looks frosty, the question I have is why haven't we seen more signs of water movement in the landscape/ excluding those pictures that were potentially, of course

whats so special about rock that it cant show condensation trail?

funbox

Each trail has a little mineral dust eating creature at the end..my vote bugs.:-)

originally posted by: Blue Shift

originally posted by: ArMaP
And probably because metal is a better heat conductor than rock, so changes in temperature happen faster.

Taking a little closer look, rather than water droplets, these look like little bits of rock that have bounced up there and slid around, creating the trails. Then they bounced off or were blown away.

Or maybe they're little bugs of some sort.

Yes bugs anyone taking bets?

a reply to: Char-Lee

bugs getting a free ride, do they know how much the reactor cost ?.. quick send in the extermination squad



buggedBox

a reply to: funbox
Look at it as free cleaning :-)

Like this cutie. i think the pencil like objects on Mars are creatures that pop up to absorb moisture or get light...mineral eating wormish things.

www.zo.utexas.edu...

a reply to: Char-Lee

well they must be quick cleaners . theres only 7 minuets taken between the two shots

a full size image of the two shots with a 0.5 second delay between the two, just in case we missed any



files.abovetopsecret.com...

funbox