Space/Planets |
Mars Redux
Photo Source: NASA Except Where Otherwise Noted
Spirit Winter Panorama Well I couldn't help myself, I just had to revisit some of those Mars photos. First let me explain for those that don't know, Spirit and Opportunity are rovers that were sent to Mars by NASA. They are still going years after they were supposed to have broken down. Some people really reach when they look at some of those rocks on Mars. If you look at those rock photos enough, you are sure to see almost anything in the shapes. I am the first to admit that. One site insists that a square looking rock is a tank and has posted photos of tanks to compare it to. I just have to ask this question, why would anyone want to or even be able to transport a heavy tank on to Mars? The other question is, does anyone here believe that there were Martians that just happened to create a tank that is said to look like a T- 90 Russian main battle tank? No I don't think so. A rectangular rock just happened to be in front of a straight trench of lighter material which, it you used your imagination, might look like a canon coming from a turret. What we are really seeing is a rectangular rock that is being hit by the light is such a way that the corners look rounder. There is an odd shaped rock on top near the front, that gives a turret. impression. The object is in a rock field, of course and is in the extreme left hand corner of the photo of the lander that released Spirit.
The Extremely Magnified Photos Above Reflect What Some Think Is A Tank We have gotten to the point where many scientists think that Mars has water on it. This was reinforced when Spirit dragged its right front wheel and uncovered a trench with bright patches of almost pure, fine grained silica. We have this silica on Earth. It came from ancient evaporating coastal waters. If one was to go to Yellowstone Park, they would find this type of silica around geysers and hot springs. It is deposited by the mineral rich water.
Photo Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech Did you know that there are Dust Devils on Mars? I think that we all knew there were dust storms, but these are more like tiny wind funnels full of sand and debris.
Left: Dust Devil In Distance
Dust Devil Enlarged When Spirit returned to its home base, I wanted to examine the complete field around it, to see if anything strange lurked there. The rock field is the subject of many claims of strange objects, so I searched it as completely as I could without spending the rest of my life on it and here is what I came up with. Everything that you see is from the photo below:
Photo Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech
I am not saying that these objects are anything other than rocks, but they are interesting. Left To Right: This little exercise was carried out to show you how you can find all sorts of images, when you are looking into those Martian landscapes. Looking at a rock field is like looking at clouds. The shadows and light cause all different shapes to come into view. This is not to say that you might find something.
Left To Right Well there is no doubt about it, Mars is a very interesting place. Will we find that there was once life there, or that there is life there now? Who knows the answer to this? For all we know, there might be giant underground pools of water teeming with life. Nothing is impossible when you talk about life thriving in the harshest of places, we have found that out right here on our home planet. Let's hope that we put some people on this place sooner than later to explore it, or are we secretly doing this already? |
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