Weird object spotted by Opportunity

NASA's press releases aren't mentioning a strange object spotted by Opportunity. I saw it last night and was puzzled as to why no one's mentioned it.

It's no "face on Mars", but it's just as ripe for
imaginative interpretation: A snail's eyestalks?
A rabbit head? A sea serpent? A bit of ripped air bag?

Under "As Far as Opportunity's Eye Can See", on marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov...

there's a large panorama at:
marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov...
and look down under the sedimentary outcrop at right.

You can also see that NASA was looking at it on Sol 2, as a a series of four images seem to be pointed at the object, 2/3rds of the way down at:
marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov...
but strangely it looks like those pixels are whited-out.
Is that over-exposure because the object is reflective?

Are you talking about the "horned" looking thing?

yeah jfoust, are you trying to say that Nasa has been investigating the object but "whited" it out from the pics they released??

That could be anything really. Most likely a rock, but you know what a looks like. A shell. I looks like it curls, and then there is a hollow spot, or entrance.

Yes, the horned object. I'm not jumping to any conclusions. Strange, no? And it's the same shape in four earlier Sol 2 shots, but whited-out. Why were they taking pictures of it on Sol 2?

I personally find this part of the picture interresting. Is that the skull of an antilope? Or maybe it's a rabbit? Or is it a man lying on his back firing a gun towards the MiB who shot him in the foot?



Blessings,
Mikromarius

[Edited on 3-2-2004 by Hamilton]

don;t you people get it? like i said in the other thread on this object, its obviously the skull of a western jackalope

Originally posted by Hamilton
I personally find this part of the picture interresting. Is that the skull of an antilope? Or maybe it's a rabbit?



Blessings,
Mikromarius

That's the anomaly that this thread is about dude.

This would be a very strange rock if indeed it were. Notice that one of the "horns" casts a shadow. This points to it not being an optical illusion due to the object being buried.

rabbit? Uhhhhh NO....there's no bone in a rabbit ear


CRAZY MUTANT SPACE JACKALOPE?

why not

Okay remember that the pic is a 360 degree panaramic shot of the whole crater that Op is in. But even we you piece together which is the front back side etc. That thing still looks wierd.

There are other small bits of the landing craft scattered about the sand, you can find them by looking for the bright bits, they have a white, grey like appearence with some dark and a magenta cast towards the bottom. I counted a total of 4 bits in the sand from the landing craft/ air bags, etc.

BUT the horned thing is puzzling, its similar in coloring to the enviorment. There are spike looking things that are orange in color three visable from the side and similar looking spike things on the top of the "horns" and a curved shell like back.

There are no visable impact marking around the object and it does cast a shadow. Did Op catch a glimpse of a "sand crab" like creature on mars ?

Keep an eye out if they release more pics of that bedrock cluster and we will see if "it" moved.

SOL 7 - Front hazcam

marsrovers.jpl.nasa.gov...

ITS NOT THERE ANYMORE. SOL 7 would have been taken after the 360 pan shot of SOL 2

ITS NOT THERE, ITS NOT THERE

IT MUST HAVE MOVED....

it has to be a martian snail or something like that!!!!! that is freaky!!! are you sure they (NASA) didn't edit it out of the other shots??????

Holy dung-beetles that's odd.

I commented in the other thread that one piece was on top of the tracks where it should not be unless it moved there since the bags were retracted.

Odd.



[Edited on 3-2-2004 by Zzub]

It could be some form of lightweight rock or fabric from the airbag that has been blown away by the Martian wind. Just because something moves doesn't necessarily mean that it is alive.

I doubt it's alive, or ever was. I can't figure out why it's not leaving trails if it blows around and why it seems they are moving.

In the original panoramic shot the little thing doesn't leave a trail. It doesn't look like the wind is blowing either because that would make the dust look like a snowy cornice. Ya'll know what I'm talking about. It's a piece of the balloon.

Photo manipulation- alteration of photos seems to be the case at hand.

Nope, I doubt that if it was blown by the wind that it would have gone very far considering its relative shape. It should appear in other shots then. Plus we have identified other pieces of the landing system/ air bag / lander etc that have been ejected onto the surface and they do not match the color spectrum of the "horned" object

Plus, the rocks in the area are all of similar density construction etc. What would this "light weight" rock be made of ? And how did it get in the crater ? Most of all the rock structures and fragements have a high concentration of Iron which in its self makes them somewhat heavy compared to airborne debris

It could be a piece of pummice, though I'm sure it would leave a trail if it was blown about by the wind.

BTW, there are about 3 threads on the exact same thing. ATS needs an editor.