Rovers spot strange shapes on Mars

[Wilms]

Rovers spot strange shapes on Mars

Features were left behind by tools ... or were they?

MSNBC/Space.com

By Leonard David
Senior space writer
Updated: 5:11 p.m. ET Feb. 14, 2005

-snip-

Once the rock was worked over, Spirit’s Microscopic Imager went in for close-up looks at the results. And within the images, an odd feature could be seen, seemingly a pattern of something more biological than just rock.

"The first impression I got — based on the morphology alone — was how similar it looked to a common terrestrial foliose lichen," said Barry DiGregorio, a research associate for the Cardiff Centre for Astrobiology in the United Kingdom. "On Mars, however, as we all have learned from past experience, looks can be deceiving," he told SPACE.com.

-snip-

"While I have not traced the precise path and geometry, it is suspected that the central ‘fuzzy’ patch is due to the Mössbauer placement onto a portion of the mosaic where brush bits had accumulated," Gorevan noted.

-snip-

"The Mössbauer left a screw mark in some dust, and it was assumed that there was a 'ratting' and some very weird structure had been uncovered. Like I said, I can’t prove my hypothesis yet, but I would bet the farm that it was something close to what I am indicating," Gorevan said.

-snip/more-

<http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=228>

[Dookus]

1. Can you link to the story?

your link goes to the science forum here on DU.

[Rosco T.]

3. Here ya go.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6969396/

[Wilms]

7. Thanks Roscoe, I owe ya. n/t

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. Ah how will the creation crowd explain THIS ONE?

[Rosco T.]

5. Fundy explanations..

1) it's a fake, satan did it.
2) nothing to see here, praise the lord!
3) Clinton did it.

[Downtown Hound]

6. Jesus in fact appeared to the ancient Martians to lead them out

of their heathen ways.

[Igel]

16. The usual, non-falsifiable way:

God created it that way for reasons only known to Him.

It handles everything in a very straightforward way.

[tridim]

4. This isn't the story link but good nonetheless

http://www.markcarey.com/mars/archives.html

[NationalEnquirer]

9. Thanks for the link, very interesting n/t

[pmbryant]

8. Title forgot to add: "shapes made by its own instruments"

Very strange subject for an article.

--Peter

[Wilms]

10. Took me a second...

Then I pictured a Martian Prospector.

[indigobusiness]

11. "To the LUMBERYARD..."

[Tims]

12. Curious Patern I Found

Early in the Rover Opportunity's mission I was looking through the raw image files and something caught my eye from one of the RAT tool grinds. These were on images 1M134131163EFF08AQP2979M2M1 & 1M134131222EFF08AQP2979M2M1, the clearest of about 5 images of the same location.

The area circled in the following image seems to show a branching pattern that reminded me of certain primitive plants and algae. Even though I believe life may have emerged on Mars, I would doubt such a complex form could have evolved in the short time life could have flourished. None-the-less, the image fascinated me.(the diameter should read 25mm not 250mm)



Here is a close-up of the circled area with some contrast and sharpening to make it clearer.



I've superimposed some lines over the image to show what my wild imagination sees. The articulated nature of the pattern and the crown like forms with 2-4 dots at each junction reminds me of common Horsetail. The form is less than 7mm high (about a 1/4 inch).

[Ian David]

14. Very cool, thanks for posting that! I agreyour skepticism is justified

The Pattern-Seeking Mind

Humans are pattern-seeking animals. There's not much doubt to this little thought about fact. We have a tendency to see faces or animals in the clouds, in the sidewalk, in inkblots, potato chips, or many other randomly configured objects. Also, what one may see as an obvious clown face in the clouds another may not see at all. It all has to do with perspective, point of view. That other person may see Elvis Presley instead. Nevertheless, our human brains are wired in such a way as we often form these kinds of patterns, shapes, or make these types of connections with inanimate matter. Why?

http://www.geocities.com/anatheist2001/subpattern.htm

[Celebration]

17. biogeometry

Why indeed? Here is a pretty good website on biogeometry-- ok, I am into this resonance stuff.

http://www.biogeometry.org/

[sakabatou]

15. From the lines

it looks kinda like a scorpion.

[HeeBGBz]

13. Takes a lichen and keeps on tickin

Mars rocks.