Bye Bye Blueberries |
Bye Bye Blueberries |
Oct 24 2005, 03:25 PM
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#1
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Member Group: Members Posts: 252 Joined: 27-April 05 Member No.: 365 |
According to Steve Squyres' latest journal entry, Opportunity is now seeing virtually -no- blueberries in the surface matrix anymore.
"...On top of that, Opportunity has stumbled onto something really new and different lately... the blueberries seem to be gone!..." And a theory: "But one possible guess at this point is that we have moved "up section" in geologic terms -- to rocks that are higher up in this stack of layered sediments -- and that the rocks at this level never experienced the concretion-forming process. It's an interesting hypothesis with interesting implications, and it's also one that could explain a few other odd things we've been thinking about ever since Eagle crater" Looks like Oppy will stop for some intense IDD work in the next day or so. |
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Oct 25 2005, 05:59 AM
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#2
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2228 Joined: 1-December 04 From: Marble Falls, Texas, USA Member No.: 116 |
Wow, that took me by surprise, too. I looked back through my image archive to try to pin down the change. We have good observations of tiny berries in the rocks up until Sol 609. There could possibly be some in the rocks observed right up until sol 617, but the imagery is not optimum for such observations. I can't say a lot, but it cetainly seems that the change from small berries to no berries occurred quickly, and recently.
As one not afraid to go out on a limb with an hypothesis, here is my best guess as to where this transition may be. On sol 617 Opportunity captured this navcam image of a contact while climbing up-section. The full size image is here. http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/gallery/all...TOP1600L0M1.JPG The layering in the lower part of the image is clearly different from that in the upper part. This looks like a significant contact to me. I can't imagine they will not go back to investigate this transition. I should say, they'd be crazy not to, unless there is a more convenient location to investigate. -------------------- ...Tom
I'm not a Space Fan, I'm a Space Exploration Enthusiast. |
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Oct 25 2005, 07:43 PM
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#3
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Senior Member Group: Admin Posts: 4763 Joined: 15-March 05 From: Glendale, AZ Member No.: 197 |
QUOTE (CosmicRocker @ Oct 25 2005, 05:59 AM) As one not afraid to go out on a limb with an hypothesis, here is my best guess as to where this transition may be. On sol 617 Opportunity captured this navcam image of a contact while climbing up-section. . Good eye CR. I am in total agreement with you. -------------------- If Occam had heard my theory, things would be very different now.
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