Seraphim
01-08-2004, 04:38 AM
If its oil, little green men are going to get their asses kicked.
http://go.sciflicks.com/movies/moonraker/moonraker_06.jpg
By Jeremy Manier, Tribune staff reporter
Opening its primary digital eyes for the first time, the rover Spirit on Tuesday transmitted the most detailed photos ever sent from the surface of Mars, revealing an alien vista of deep russet sands, a mysteriously sticky form of soil and a far-off mesa in the light orange haze.
The rocky scene is about four times sharper than any previous photos from the planet, and experts said the probe should be sending even larger, three-dimensional views of its terrain within a few days. Scientists will use those photos and information from an infrared imaging instrument to choose the most promising places for the rover to start visiting next week in search of signs that Mars once had a habitat suitable for life.
It's difficult to imagine life surviving now in the barren landscape around the rover--though mission planners have said one goal of the robotic Mars expeditions is to scout out possible landing sites in case the U.S. ever sends astronauts to Mars.
But on Tuesday, researchers analyzing the new images took a moment to look at the planet with simple wonder.
"My reaction has been one of shock and awe," said Jim Bell, leader of the mission's imaging team at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California.
The sticky-looking soil may be the first true puzzle of the mission, scientists said. Technicians believe the probe's landing airbags disturbed the dirt near the rover when they retracted back under the craft, soon after the landing. The dirt that was dragged by the airbags now looks oddly folded, almost as if it were damp clay.
"It looks like mud, but it can't be mud," said principal investigator Steven Squyres. "It's not like anything that I have ever seen before. It's very weird-looking stuff."
Researchers believe Martian soil in the rover's vicinity is bone-dry near the surface, adding to the mystery. Squyres said it's possible that moisture evaporating from below left a salty, cohesive crust at the surface.
"We're going to have a real interesting time trying to figure this stuff out," Squyres said.
Public interest in the rover also swelled as the new photos, the first color images sent by Spirit, streamed in, according to NASA (news - web sites). Officials estimated on Tuesday that the space agency's Internet portal had recorded its one billionth hit since the rover landed last Saturday--the most Web activity a NASA mission has ever generated and equal to one-third of the agency's traffic for all of 2003.
The new mission quickly surpassed computer traffic spurred by the 1997 Pathfinder mission, which was among the first events to bring the Internet into popular culture.
NASA's elaborate Web presentations for the $800 million Spirit mission, including a plan to offer teachers weekly classroom activities, reflect the agency's knowledge that its efforts rely on sparking the public's imagination about the potential of space exploration. That task is so essential that one Mars program employee has the title of "manager of public engagement."
It's a happy coincidence that the images from planetary exploration can combine legitimate research with gut-level fascination, said Rocky Kolb, a professor of astronomy and astrophysics at the University of Chicago who serves on NASA's space science advisory committee.
"In some sense it's like pictures from the Hubble Space Telescope (news - web sites)--some are awe-inspiring and make you say `wow,' but it's what you learn from them that makes it worth doing," Kolb said.
At first glance the dark rocks and red sand that Spirit has photographed appear similar to images taken by the other three probes that have landed on Mars--Pathfinder and the two Viking missions in the 1970s. But mission leaders said they can already tell that Spirit's location in Gusev Crater is different from the other sites in ways that may help explain the possible history of water flow in the region.
Images taken from space suggest that an ancient river may once have emptied into the crater, creating a lake. The rocks where Spirit landed are smaller than rocks seen at the landing sites for previous probes though researchers said Tuesday it's unclear whether the rock size has anything to do with the possibility that the area was once submerged.
"We don't have the slightest idea yet what these rocks are made of," Squyres said.
The small size of the rocks means the rover should have no trouble exploring the area, said Jennifer Trosper, mission manager for surface operations.
"We don't think we are going to have problems driving there," Trosper said.
The Mars team also took time on Tuesday for a congratulatory call from President Bush (news - web sites), who thanked the group for "reaffirming the great spirit of American exploration," according to White House spokesman Scott McClellan.
NASA announced on Tuesday that the area around Spirit was being named the Columbia Memorial Station in honor of the seven astronauts who died in the space shuttle accident last year.
One surface feature near Spirit that scientists may wish they could study is a 1,500-foot tall mesa, just visible through the haze about 18 miles away from the probe. Researchers believe such isolated plateaus may have been shaped long ago by water flowing into the crater.
But the Spirit rover's limited range means it won't be visiting the distant horizon.
"I think we'll just have to take a wistful look at that one," Bell said.
http://go.sciflicks.com/movies/moonraker/moonraker_06.jpg
By Jeremy Manier, Tribune staff reporter
Opening its primary digital eyes for the first time, the rover Spirit on Tuesday transmitted the most detailed photos ever sent from the surface of Mars, revealing an alien vista of deep russet sands, a mysteriously sticky form of soil and a far-off mesa in the light orange haze.
The rocky scene is about four times sharper than any previous photos from the planet, and experts said the probe should be sending even larger, three-dimensional views of its terrain within a few days. Scientists will use those photos and information from an infrared imaging instrument to choose the most promising places for the rover to start visiting next week in search of signs that Mars once had a habitat suitable for life.
It's difficult to imagine life surviving now in the barren landscape around the rover--though mission planners have said one goal of the robotic Mars expeditions is to scout out possible landing sites in case the U.S. ever sends astronauts to Mars.
But on Tuesday, researchers analyzing the new images took a moment to look at the planet with simple wonder.
"My reaction has been one of shock and awe," said Jim Bell, leader of the mission's imaging team at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California.
The sticky-looking soil may be the first true puzzle of the mission, scientists said. Technicians believe the probe's landing airbags disturbed the dirt near the rover when they retracted back under the craft, soon after the landing. The dirt that was dragged by the airbags now looks oddly folded, almost as if it were damp clay.
"It looks like mud, but it can't be mud," said principal investigator Steven Squyres. "It's not like anything that I have ever seen before. It's very weird-looking stuff."
Researchers believe Martian soil in the rover's vicinity is bone-dry near the surface, adding to the mystery. Squyres said it's possible that moisture evaporating from below left a salty, cohesive crust at the surface.
"We're going to have a real interesting time trying to figure this stuff out," Squyres said.
Public interest in the rover also swelled as the new photos, the first color images sent by Spirit, streamed in, according to NASA (news - web sites). Officials estimated on Tuesday that the space agency's Internet portal had recorded its one billionth hit since the rover landed last Saturday--the most Web activity a NASA mission has ever generated and equal to one-third of the agency's traffic for all of 2003.
The new mission quickly surpassed computer traffic spurred by the 1997 Pathfinder mission, which was among the first events to bring the Internet into popular culture.
NASA's elaborate Web presentations for the $800 million Spirit mission, including a plan to offer teachers weekly classroom activities, reflect the agency's knowledge that its efforts rely on sparking the public's imagination about the potential of space exploration. That task is so essential that one Mars program employee has the title of "manager of public engagement."
It's a happy coincidence that the images from planetary exploration can combine legitimate research with gut-level fascination, said Rocky Kolb, a professor of astronomy and astrophysics at the University of Chicago who serves on NASA's space science advisory committee.
"In some sense it's like pictures from the Hubble Space Telescope (news - web sites)--some are awe-inspiring and make you say `wow,' but it's what you learn from them that makes it worth doing," Kolb said.
At first glance the dark rocks and red sand that Spirit has photographed appear similar to images taken by the other three probes that have landed on Mars--Pathfinder and the two Viking missions in the 1970s. But mission leaders said they can already tell that Spirit's location in Gusev Crater is different from the other sites in ways that may help explain the possible history of water flow in the region.
Images taken from space suggest that an ancient river may once have emptied into the crater, creating a lake. The rocks where Spirit landed are smaller than rocks seen at the landing sites for previous probes though researchers said Tuesday it's unclear whether the rock size has anything to do with the possibility that the area was once submerged.
"We don't have the slightest idea yet what these rocks are made of," Squyres said.
The small size of the rocks means the rover should have no trouble exploring the area, said Jennifer Trosper, mission manager for surface operations.
"We don't think we are going to have problems driving there," Trosper said.
The Mars team also took time on Tuesday for a congratulatory call from President Bush (news - web sites), who thanked the group for "reaffirming the great spirit of American exploration," according to White House spokesman Scott McClellan.
NASA announced on Tuesday that the area around Spirit was being named the Columbia Memorial Station in honor of the seven astronauts who died in the space shuttle accident last year.
One surface feature near Spirit that scientists may wish they could study is a 1,500-foot tall mesa, just visible through the haze about 18 miles away from the probe. Researchers believe such isolated plateaus may have been shaped long ago by water flowing into the crater.
But the Spirit rover's limited range means it won't be visiting the distant horizon.
"I think we'll just have to take a wistful look at that one," Bell said.