Mars Rover Sol 2801 - Cleaned and Close Look at a Bump on a Rock

Most of the rocks have had bumps on them for a while now.

A lot of the bumps seem to be embedded smaller rocks.

There are some teardrop kinda like shaped ones that show up often too.

NASA cleaned one up with a brush and then got some good close-ups.

Doesn't really look like anything organic to me.





Original NASA images are on NASA's website.

NASA image

A rover update just came out.

Sol 2802: Finishing Observations at 'Bloodstone Hill'

Curiosity is finishing its very brief investigation of “Bloodstone Hill.” It will start the day with documentation imaging by Hazcam and Navcam of the APXS overnight target, and stowing of the arm.

That will be followed by Mastcam observations of “Chambers Street” and calibration targets. ChemCam and Mastcam will both make observations of “Skaw,” which is a rock that was scuffed by the rover wheel. Curiosity will then drive back downhill for a planned distance of ~60 m.

There will be post-drive imaging by Navcam, looking at the rearward terrain and the rover deck. MARDI will take an image of the terrain below the rover after the drive. REMS, RAD, and DAN will also take data. With that, Curiosity should be back on the road (figuratively speaking) toward the sulfate unit.

Doesn't really look like anything to me.

There is more information there than you might think.

www.sandatlas.org...

a reply to: Phage

True.

I fixed it.

Doesn't really look like anything organic to me.

a reply to: LookingAtMars

Inclusions can be organic. Fossils are inclusions.

But those don't appear to be.

So is that circular pattern, in the bottom right frame of the first series of images, the result of that spot at one time being a place where hot air bubbled up through a mixture of (Volcanic) mud and small rocks? Or was it caused by something else?

a reply to: LookingAtMars

originally posted by: LookingAtMars

Martian Coprolite...

So is that circular pattern, in the bottom right frame of the first series of images, the result of that spot at one time being a place where hot air bubbled up

It was made by the rover with this brush.

a reply to: Phage

Inclusions in meteorites have the same origin controversy. While most inclusions in geologic materials are older then the rock they are found in or upon, Some inclusions are caused by chemical reactions in the materials now that they are in Earth atmosphere. These meteorites like some pallasites and carbonaceous chondrites do start to create reactions over time that contain amino acids. Hard to tell if it has always been going on in the meteorite but being on Earth increases the reaction.

Some scientists have speculated that this could be another "seeding" mechanism that meteorites may perform.

Really wish mars had something other then rocks .
But if it does the only thing we go looking at is Rocks .
And rocks are Boring . Were is Marvin when you need him .

I think those "blueberries" could be alive, but we don't recognize it because they're alive in a way that doesn't fit our definition of life. I think in some ways they're born, eat and grow, break off from their hosts and roll around. Sometimes collecting together. They're metallic. Maybe they even communicate in some way. Shifting magnetic fields. Maybe they can modify their positions and environments in some effective by non-obvious way. I don't know. I've seen a lot of them. Some of them seem to have a surface that folds in on itself, like a Brussels Sprout.

Just saying.

Thank you!

a reply to: LookingAtMars

I thought this little busted gear sitting with those overlapping roots was interesting.

originally posted by: midnightstar
Really wish mars had something other then rocks .
But if it does the only thing we go looking at is Rocks .
And rocks are Boring . Were is Marvin when you need him .

All the good stuff is underground.

That's the theory anyway.

a reply to: Blue Shift

That's not a gear, it's a giant corona virus.

Good find.

Can you share the source, for some context?

originally posted by: midnightstar
Really wish mars had something other then rocks .
But if it does the only thing we go looking at is Rocks .
And rocks are Boring . Were is Marvin when you need him .

Well, Mars has water ice and frozen CO2 on its surface. Dunes of dark basaltic sand. And "rocks" include stuff like clays and gypsum minerals, created when Mars had liquid water on its surface.

It's a very varied and interesting place!