Odd rock found by Opportunity rover on Mars

Odd rock found by Opportunity rover on Mars - Printable Version

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Odd rock found by Opportunity rover on Mars - Parsons - 01-30-2014

This isn't earth shattering news or anything, but I certainly find it intriguing:

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap140129.html APOD Wrote:What if a rock that looked like a jelly donut suddenly appeared on Mars? That's just what happened in front of the robotic Opportunity rover currently exploring the red planet. The unexpectedly placed rock, pictured above, was imaged recently by Opportunity after not appearing in other images taken as recently as twelve Martian days (sols) before. Given the intriguing mystery, the leading explanation is somewhat tame -- the rock was recently scattered by one of the rover's tires. Even so, the rock's unusual light tones surrounding a red interior created interest in its composition -- as well as causing it to be nicknamed Jelly Donut. A subsequent chemical analysis showed the rock has twice the abundance of manganese than any other rock yet examined -- an unexpected clue that doesn't yet fit into humanity's understanding of the Martian geologic history. Opportunity, just passing its 10-year anniversary on Mars, continues to explore the Murray Ridge section of the rim of 22-kilometer wide Endeavor Crater.

RE: Odd rock found by Opportunity rover on Mars - AnthroHeart - 01-30-2014

Funny, I thought this said old rock, so I was thinking 60's rock music.

RE: Odd rock found by Opportunity rover on Mars - zenmaster - 02-02-2014

http://phys.org/news/2014-01-ideas-jelly-donut-mars.html

Rock apparently was kicked up by a rover wheel...It happens.

RE: Odd rock found by Opportunity rover on Mars - Parsons - 02-02-2014

(02-02-2014, 02:09 AM)zenmaster Wrote: http://phys.org/news/2014-01-ideas-jelly-donut-mars.html

Rock apparently was kicked up by a rover wheel...It happens.

It does most likely seem to be the case. I'm still curious about the composition of the rock.

RE: Odd rock found by Opportunity rover on Mars - Namaste - 02-03-2014

[Image: h87B55EF7]

Was it not measured to have more magnesium than any other rock sampled to date?

RE: Odd rock found by Opportunity rover on Mars - Spaced - 02-03-2014

That doesn't necessarily mean anything other than the fact that it contains more magnesium than the other rocks sampled to date Smile

RE: Odd rock found by Opportunity rover on Mars - Namaste - 02-03-2014

I was jesting with the image :¬)

If I recall correctly, it was over double the amount, quite an anomaly.

Edit - found it...

Quote:It’s like nothing we’ve ever seen before,” he said. “It’s very high in sulphur, it’s very high in magnesium, it’s got twice as much manganese as we’ve ever seen in anything on Mars.

The above statement is from NASA.

RE: Odd rock found by Opportunity rover on Mars - zenmaster - 02-03-2014

Swamp gas?

RE: Odd rock found by Opportunity rover on Mars - Namaste - 02-04-2014

(02-03-2014, 09:58 PM)zenmaster Wrote: Swamp gas?

It was a joke - either that or this:

[Image: 1947f.jpg]