Mars Exploraton Rover Update #2 - August 2, 2005

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SPIRIT UPDATE: Spirit Investigating 'Chic' - sol 551-558, August 02,

2005:

Spirit has reached a target-rich area of the Columbia Hills. In the week of July 21 to 28, 2005, Spirit performed extensive investigations on two rocks, "Descartes" and "Bourgeoisie." Spirit has also acquired coordinated panoramic camera and miniature thermal emission spectrometer observations of several nearby rock targets.

Sol-by-sol summaries:

Sol 551 (July 21): Spirit made a short approach to a rock informally named "Descartes."

Sol 552: Spirit used the microscopic imager and alpha particle X-ray spectrometer on "Discourse" - which is a target on Descartes. It also performed general remote sensing.

Sol 553: Spirit brushed the target with the rock abrasion tool, then examined the brushed area with the microscopic imager and the alpha particle X-ray spectrometer. It also made other remote-sensing observations.

Sol 554-555: Spirit performed a long integration with the Moessbauer spectrometer and made remote-sensing observations.

Sol 556: The rover finished using its microscopic imager on Descartes and rolled to the next target, Bourgeoisie.

Sol 557: Spirit took images with its microscopic imager and took readings with its alpha particle X-ray spectrometer on Bourgeoisie. It then used the microscopic imager to shoot frames for mosaics of three areas -- "Gallant," "Gentil" and "Chic" -- and placed the alpha particle X-ray spectrometer on Chic.

Sol 558 (July 28): Researchers sought to have Spirit brush Chic with the rock abrasion tool, but due to the geometry of the target, Chic was deemed un-brushable. Instead, Spirit proceeded with a two-day Moessbauer spectrometer integration on Chic and more remote sensing.

Total odometry as of July 28, 2005 (sol 558) is 4,688 meters (2.91 miles).

Reply to
baalke
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I want to thank you for doing this service. I appreciate it a lot.

/BAH

Subtract a hundred and four for e-mail.

Reply to
jmfbahciv

Does anybody know what power the microscopic imagers have? It seems to me that the absence of detected fossils of any kind might have some implications for the presence or absence of any life forms. A key qualification for this would be that a high power (100X) was available.

Reply to
Doug Skrecky

It's about the same as a hand held magnifying lens- the field of view is

31mm x 31mm. On a typical monitor with the image about screen sized, you will see about a 7 to 10 power magnification. YMMV.

Cheers!

Sir Charles W. Shults III, K. B. B. Xenotech Research

321-206-1840
Reply to
Sir Charles W. Shults III

Lake Erebus, sorry for the correction.

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This does not show an impact crater. It shows the laminated layer of rocks that cover Meridiani subsiding into endurance. And covering almost half way down to the floor. Erebus will no doubt be similar. Endurance and Erebus were ice-covered hot springs.

And these are not simple wind blown sand dunes either. But the original floor of Meridiani sea These ripples were not deposited by wind, but scoured out by water. Then partially deformed later by wind.

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The laminations in the dunes demonstrate that this is a very young region of Mars.

These laminated dunes are not rocks are they? They are still in the form of clay-like soil. They never had a chance to turn to rocks by burial. These laminations never had a chance to be fully weathered away down to the ...laminated...bedrock just below.

I'm trying to remember seeing anything at Meridiani that is not finely and uniformly laminated. I'm trying to imagine how these laminated dunes lie at such an odd angle.

Geology fails to explain anything found at Meridiani. Life continues to explain everything found at Meridiani.

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Look familiar?
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"Lamination as a tool for distinguishing microbial and metazoan biosystems from inert structures"

Conclusion: "Lamination often indicates the presence of microbial or microbially dominated biosystems. Furthermore, laminated structures are an important borderline to distinguish micro and macroorganisms, although such a distinction is relative. Both the presence and absence of lamination are lawful phenomena based on the fundamental physical and biological/biogeochemical principles."

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Jonathan

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making 61

Reply to
jonathan

In the absence of chemical profiles and size scales it is nearly impossible to evaluate this information. Evidence is mass, length, time at least.

Reply to
darthpup

a lot.

These reports on the JPL rover website. Plus new pictures every 24 hours (raw images). Much of the web site has been inactive in the past few months. Either summer vacation or shifting resources to other space missions.

Reply to
rick++

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