NASA Mars Rover Opportunity Grinds "Cool" Rock

coondoggie writes "While its sister rover Spirit has garnered most of the attention lately, NASA's other Mars traveler, Opportunity, is chewing up Martian dirt and unearthing the mineral and chemical makeup of the red planet. NASA scientists said this week the rover uncovered 'one of the coolest things Opportunity has found in a very long time:' a dark, basketball-sized rock known as 'Marquette Island.' According to NASA, the Marquette Island rock is a coarse-grained rock that indicates it cooled slowly from molten rock, allowing crystals time to grow. Such composition suggests it originated deep in the crust, not at the surface where it would cool quicker and have finer-grained texture, NASA stated."

Unearthing?

[Scutter]

Opportunity is chewing up Martian dirt and unearthing the mineral and chemical makeup of the red planet.

Shouldn't that be "unmarsing"?

Re:Unearthing?

[derGoldstein]

it makes as much sense as naming their fist to-be colonized planet after a god of war.

I named my fists Romulus and Remus. I hadn't considered colonizing them, however.

Re:Unearthing?

[Rogerborg]

I named my fists Romulus and Remus.

I named my fists Kirk and... well, the second one doesn't need a name. Kirk wins. You want to go again? Kirk wins again.

Re:Two rovers, one stuck

[montyzooooma]

I agree. If Hollywood had been involved in these mission Opportunity would already have carried out a successful rescue mission.

kirk fist, meet my feet

[circletimessquare]

chuck, and norris

ROUNDHOUSE

Re:Rocks?!?!?

[happy_place]

Well this is Mars. There are a lot of them. Family Vacations on mars might be as exciting as driving through Nebraska.

"I spy with my little eye, something red."

"Is it... a rock?"

"Your turn."

(repeat ad nauseum)

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