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Originally posted by Awen24
I don't understand how it is that $200 billion only buys you a black and white camera these days.
I really don't.
Originally posted by VoidHawk
This looks like two VERY RECENTLY dried up puddles. They look like they are still a little damp.
Curiosity will trundle around its landing site looking for interesting rock features to study. Its top speed is about 4cm/s
Originally posted by bkfd54
I am getting pretty damn tired of looking at rocks.
The relatively bright, small ridges are ripples. From their study on Earth, and close-up examination by the MER rovers (roving elsewhere on Mars), scientists surmise that the ripples are composed of fine sand (less than 200 microns in diameter) or fine sand coated with coarser sand and granules.
The larger, darker bedforms are dunes composed of sand, most likely of fine size. Ripples tend to move slower than dunes. Because of this, over time, ripples get covered with dust, possibly explaining the bright tone visible here. The dunes are dark probably because they are composed of basaltic sand (derived from dark, volcanic rock) that is blown by the wind enough that dust does not sufficiently accumulate to change their color.
Originally posted by Mianeye
Just a little teaser of what to come
This is the latest panorama released by NASA July 2012. It was assembled from 817 images taken between Dec. 21, 2011, and May 8, 2012, while Opportunity was stationed on an outcrop informally named 'Greeley Haven'. on a segment of the rim of ancient Endeavour Crater.
360 degree panaoramic interactive moving view of Mars taken by Opportunity Rover.
www.panoramas.dk...
edit on 9-8-2012 by Mianeye because: (no reason given)edit on 9-8-2012 by Mianeye because: (no reason given)
Originally posted by BagBing
reply to post by tauristercus
Presumably it's the same/similar process that cause volcanic island chains - crustal movement over a magma plume.
Most researchers agree that Valles Marineris is a large tectonic "crack" in the Martian crust that formed as the crust thickened in the Tharsis region to the west, and was subsequently widened by erosional forces. However, near the eastern flanks of the rift there appear to be some channels that may have been formed by water or carbon dioxide.