unusual pebble shape

In the "mission success" panorama

http://origin.mars5.jpl.nasa.gov/gal...B009R1_br2.jpg

there is visible a pebble or small stone that has a
very unusual shape: it appears to have two "stalks"
that protrude upwards (rather like the stalks
or antennae of a snail).

One can see the pebble by scrolling about 3/5 of the
way to the right, and about 3/5 of the way down,
in the panorama.

In the high resolution view, one of the stalks can be
seen to be casting a shadow.

Any idea how a stone with this unusual shape could
be formed? Or could it be some part of the rover
airbag that fell off while it was rolling?

PM

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On 2004-02-02 23:57:38 -0600, (Paul Morris) said:

there is visible a pebble or small stone that has a
very unusual shape: it appears to have two "stalks"
that protrude upwards (rather like the stalks
or antennae of a snail).

I noticed that too, yesterday. It is visible more clearly in the
full-resolution TIFF image available from this page:

http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA05199

I don't see how that could be a rock, it really doesn't look like one at
all. I expect it's either some piece of debris that came off the
spacecraft, or else it could be what it looks like: a little critter
wandering across the sand, waving its antennae at us.

Somebody should ask JPL for an opinion of whether they can identify it as
anything they sent on the spacecraft. Taking another picture to see if it
has moved might be a good idea too.

Tony Belding, Hamilton Texas

Tony Belding wrote:

On 2004-02-02 23:57:38 -0600, (Paul Morris)
said:

there is visible a pebble or small stone that has a
very unusual shape: it appears to have two "stalks"
that protrude upwards (rather like the stalks
or antennae of a snail).

I noticed that too, yesterday. It is visible more clearly in
the full-resolution TIFF image available from this page:

http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA05199

I don't see how that could be a rock, it really doesn't look
like one at all. I expect it's either some piece of debris
that came off the spacecraft, or else it could be what it
looks like: a little critter wandering across the sand, waving
its antennae at us.

Somebody should ask JPL for an opinion of whether they can
identify it as anything they sent on the spacecraft. Taking
another picture to see if it has moved might be a good idea
too.

The panorama pics were taken on Sol 002 and the navigation camera
pics that don't show the object were taken on Sol 005... so
whatever it was, it looks like it went sometime between those two
days. Is there anything that could have fallen off the
spacecraft and be light enough to be blown away by the thin
Martian air, I wonder?

Incidentally, the close-up pics of the exposed rock where the
rover has driven to are now available on the JPL website:

http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/galle...nity_n013.html

I suspect that this will be seen as proof by by Hogland (sp?) that
there is life on mars, and he will be on the Art Bell show tonight .

Mike Swift

In article ,
"Icarus" wrote:

Tony Belding wrote:

On 2004-02-02 23:57:38 -0600, (Paul Morris)
said:

there is visible a pebble or small stone that has a
very unusual shape: it appears to have two "stalks"
that protrude upwards (rather like the stalks
or antennae of a snail).

I noticed that too, yesterday. It is visible more clearly in
the full-resolution TIFF image available from this page:

http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA05199

I don't see how that could be a rock, it really doesn't look
like one at all. I expect it's either some piece of debris
that came off the spacecraft, or else it could be what it
looks like: a little critter wandering across the sand, waving
its antennae at us.

Somebody should ask JPL for an opinion of whether they can
identify it as anything they sent on the spacecraft. Taking
another picture to see if it has moved might be a good idea
too.

The panorama pics were taken on Sol 002 and the navigation camera
pics that don't show the object were taken on Sol 005... so
whatever it was, it looks like it went sometime between those two
days. Is there anything that could have fallen off the
spacecraft and be light enough to be blown away by the thin
Martian air, I wonder?

Incidentally, the close-up pics of the exposed rock where the
rover has driven to are now available on the JPL website:

http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/galle...nity_n013.html

Tony Belding wrote in message news:2004020507303924084%zobeid@techiecom...

Taking another picture to see if it

has moved might be a good idea too.

Tony Belding, Hamilton Texas


There is a navcam image and the object is not the

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/marslife/

In article 2004020507303924084%zobeid@techiecom, Tony Belding wrote:
On 2004-02-02 23:57:38 -0600, (Paul Morris) said:

there is visible a pebble or small stone that has a
very unusual shape: it appears to have two "stalks"
that protrude upwards (rather like the stalks
or antennae of a snail).

I noticed that too, yesterday. It is visible more clearly in the
full-resolution TIFF image available from this page:

http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA05199

I don't see how that could be a rock, it really doesn't look like one at
all. I expect it's either some piece of debris that came off the
spacecraft, or else it could be what it looks like: a little critter
wandering across the sand, waving its antennae at us.
Ofcourse... Then again similar stones I've seen here were
actually stones.

Nils O. Selåsdal wrote in message ...
the sand, waving its antennae at us.
Ofcourse... Then again similar stones I've seen here were
actually stones.


Fulgurites.

(Carlos Santillan) writes:

Nils O. Selåsdal wrote in message ...
the sand, waving its antennae at us.
Ofcourse... Then again similar stones I've seen here were
actually stones.

Fulgurites.

There is no evidence that lightning occurs on Mars.


-- Gordon D. Pusch

perl -e '$_ = \n"; s/NO\.//; s/SPAM\.//; print;'

Paul Morris wrote:
In the "mission success" panorama


http://origin.mars5.jpl.nasa.gov/gal...B009R1_br2.jpg

there is visible a pebble or small stone that has a
very unusual shape: it appears to have two "stalks"
that protrude upwards (rather like the stalks
or antennae of a snail).

One can see the pebble by scrolling about 3/5 of the
way to the right, and about 3/5 of the way down,
in the panorama.

In the high resolution view, one of the stalks can be
seen to be casting a shadow.

Any idea how a stone with this unusual shape could
be formed? Or could it be some part of the rover
airbag that fell off while it was rolling?


Interestingly though, it doesn't appear in this image:

http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/galle...1P1528L0M1.JPG

Some hacker messing about, perhaps?

In article , "Icarus"
wrote:

Paul Morris wrote:
In the "mission success" panorama



http://origin.mars5.jpl.nasa.gov/gal...B009R1_br2.jpg

there is visible a pebble or small stone that has a
very unusual shape: it appears to have two "stalks"
that protrude upwards (rather like the stalks
or antennae of a snail).
snip
In the high resolution view, one of the stalks can be
seen to be casting a shadow.

Any idea how a stone with this unusual shape could
be formed? Or could it be some part of the rover
airbag that fell off while it was rolling?


Interestingly though, it doesn't appear in this image:


http://marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov/galle...1P1528L0M1.JPG

Some hacker messing about, perhaps?


That is one of the early images, with a resolution too low
to show any pebbles. No, this is a real feature. I guess it
is now thought likely to be some debris from the airbag.

PM

--
Email: lastname at best dot com. No spam please.
All spam will be complained to sender's ISP.