Curiosity Rover Prepares to Shoot Mars Rock With Laser and X-Rays - Pyramid Shaped Rock?

You’re looking at the next rock that NASA’s Curiosity rover will shoot with its powerful laser and X-ray spectrometer as part of its first close-up science investigation on Mars.

The rover has gone about 950 feet from its landing site, roughly halfway to its first target area, Glenelg. During its drive, Curiosity has been looking for a rock to use its ChemCam and APXS instruments on in tandem. ChemCam is the laser shooter on the top of the rover while the APXS is a spectrometer sitting at the end of Curiosity’s arm that bombards a target with X-rays. Both instruments determine a material’s composition but over different scales — ChemCam looks at a very small 0.04-inch area while APXS has a wider 0.6-inch range.

The instruments will be trained on the pyramid-shaped rock seen in the image above, which has been nicknamed Jake Matijevic after a recently deceased engineer who worked on every NASA rover. The rock appears to be basaltic and fairly uniform. In addition to learning about the lonely-looking rock, differences between the measurements from the two instruments will help calibrate them for future use, said Caltech geologist John Grotzinger, Curiosity project scientist, during a NASA press conference today.

Ummm, pyramid shaped rock? Really? Oh well................Looks photo-shopped to me and a bad one, but that's just me....I'm weird like that.

www.wired.com...

Can i get a laser in a hand held device this powerful..?

"Once at Glenelg, Curiosity will have its first truly interesting geology investigation because the area is full of a light-colored material that has a high thermal inertia, meaning it retains heat well."

could this stuff be the reason we are seeing a slight mudish build up in the rovers wheels?

refering to this post Curiosity Just Went Through Mud?

reply to post by CaptainBeno


Was that picture taken in Egypt?

I guess if there is life on Mars we are just going to laser it?

Strange.
This is a picture from NASA?
What is that at the edge of the rock?
I think lasers are great, but this rock does look "touched" up and implanted into this picture.
I wonder what they are really shooting at...

Originally posted by iamusic
Strange.
This is a picture from NASA?
What is that at the edge of the rock?
I think lasers are great, but this rock does look "touched" up and implanted into this picture.
I wonder what they are really shooting at...

No Bob Lazar took that pic in the Area 51 studios used to fake the moon landings

reply to post by iamusic


It does doesn't it. That's what I thought. But then again I'm no expert of this.

Someone please help? Is this a photoshop picture from NASA?

PLUS measurements......anything significant about this "rock"?

Wait 'til it shoots back....

reply to post by tkwasny


How cool would that be????

We will never see photos of that though...

reply to post by CaptainBeno


Join NASA, find interesting rocks and shoot them...

reply to post by gwynnhwyfar


Brilliant.

PLUS measurements......anything significant about this "rock"?

reply to post by CaptainBeno


According to NASA, the rock measures 16 inches wide and about 10 inches tall.
www.csmonitor.com...

I don't believe it was photo shopped.

As soon as they shoot that thing, Pinhead and his minions will show up. "We have such sights to show you"...

Hmmmm?

Well it's on several of the cameras (NavCam and HazardCams):

Sol 43 Nav Cam Left

......why am I suddenly thinking of the old song "Star Trekkin" by The Firm? Specifically the part of the lyrics that introduce Captain Kirk?

"Ah Ha!
We come in peace,
(shoot to kill, shoot to kill, shoot to kill),
We come in peace,
(shoot kill, shoot to kill them)."

It just looks suss?

reply to post by CaptainBeno


I think what makes it look out of place (not saying it is out of place), is how it appears very dark on one side, but also how the dust is gone from around the bottom.

A lot of pictures show the rocks half buried, or a lot of dust built up along the bottom (could be like that on the other side of the rock that we can't see).

However, even though the martian atmosphere is weak, winds still can carry the dust away (or pile it up).

I think it's funny that every article I've read about Jake the Rock is prefaced with a phrase similar to, "This will look just like a regular rock to you and me...blah blah blah", but it doesn't.

I saw the photo of the rock before I read anything about it and instantly recognized several odd features. The most notable characteristic is that the rock appears to have some very distinct 90 degree angles, as well as a "polished" side and a "rougher" side that appears to be where the rock was broken.

This rock LOOKS like it could be part of some stone-age architecture. Let me just clarify that I don't believe there are buildings scattered around Mars. I do think evidence of microbial life and possibly early forms of plant life may be found in the fossil records of Mars one day, but I'm not convinced intelligent life was prominent on Mars.

I'm just saying I can see why this particular rock is of some interest to NASA. It definitely doesn't look like a "normal" rock.

Originally posted by eriktheawful
However, even though the martian atmosphere is weak, winds still can carry the dust away (or pile it up).

I think that's one of the reasons why this rock looks out of place, as it looks like a softer type of rock that is less resistant to the erosion.

How many people would look at these rocks and assume that they are not made by nature?

Nice photo. Yes I can see your point, however, this rock strikes me a little strange because of it's location more than anything...........i.e. no other similar rocks surrounding it. In fact....nothing really around it? Normaly it would have fallen off something, a chip if you like, but this stands by itself and it's shape is odd too?
Perhaps I'm looking for something that is not there but it is odd