More Details About Mars Mystery Rock 180
First time accepted submitter GPS Pilot writes "Previous reports said the rock that suddenly appeared out of nowhere was merely 'the size of a jelly doughnut.' Now, a color image shows additional reasons for this metaphor: 'It's white around the outside, in the middle there's kind of a low spot that's dark red,' said lead scientist Steve Squyres. In the image, the object does stick out like a sore thumb amidst the surrounding orange rocks and soil. Its composition is 'like nothing we've ever seen before. It's very high in sulfur, it's very high in magnesium, it's got twice as much manganese as we've ever seen in anything on Mars.'"
NASA says Mars' wind can't move rocks (Score:5, Informative)
The wind on Mars is not "strong" enough to move rocks on the surface. Even though winds on Mars can probably reach large speeds, the atmospheric density is so low, that the force the wind can impose on a rock is quite small. For instance, a wind of 10 meters per second (about 20 miles per hour) here on Earth produces a force which is four times stronger than does a 50 meter per second wind (a bit more than 100 miles per hour) on the surface of Mars. So, since a 20 mile per hour wind here on Earth does not generally move rocks about on the surface (though it does raise dust), the winds on Mars don't move rocks on the surface either.
Jim Murphy
Mars Pathfinder ASI/MET Science Team
Source: http://quest.arc.nasa.gov/mars/ask/atmosphere/Feel_of_Wind_on_Mars.txt [nasa.gov]
Re: Storms (Score:4, Informative)
The Martian atmosphere is about 0.6kPa, compared to Earth's 101kPa. It's just not dense enough to move anything more substantial than dust.
Re:Fuel for the improbability drive (Score:5, Informative)
Re:It's Aliens! (Score:5, Informative)
By the way, to get a better size perspective of the rock, check out this show from the front Hazcam:
http://marsrover.nasa.gov/gallery/all/1/f/3540/1F442454318EFFCAEOP1214L0M1.JPG [nasa.gov]
You can easily see that this object could have been tossed by the wheels when you see the size comparison to the wheels.
Re:Occam's (Score:5, Informative)
Link directly to the image. [unmannedspaceflight.com]
And to the forum thread. [unmannedspaceflight.com]
Re:Post a link, please (Score:2, Informative)
http://www.unmannedspaceflight.com/index.php?showtopic=7708&st=345
These are some picture posted there:
http://www.unmannedspaceflight.com/index.php?act=attach&type=post&id=31925
http://www.unmannedspaceflight.com/index.php?act=attach&type=post&id=31954