The Curiosity On Mars Thread.

namloc1980

shedweller wrote: »

http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/11/no-positive-detection-of-methane-on-mars-nasa-announces/264473/


http://news.yahoo.com/nasa-rover-doesnt-detect-methane-mars-193144380.html


So it has been looked for in the past. By what, remains unknown to me at the moment!

Mars Global Surveyor and Mars Express both detected methane on Mars.

shedweller

Here's a new pic from NASA, showing the inner workings of SAM:


Now that is one cool piece of gear!

shedweller

Mountainsandh

Thanks for that, I rely on this thread and Explore Mars Facebook page for updates, and dig a bit deeper when time. Explore Mars had this link about 2004 http://www.exploremars.org/methane-measured-on-mars-in-jpl-briefing-2-november-1-pm-edt

shedweller

Methane points to recent activity on the planet as sunlight transforms methane into other chemicals over the course of only 3 centuries. After 250-300 years no methane would remain. Still, PFS found methane which meant that something on Mars was producing methane.

:eek:

Mountainsandh

The guy actually had an update yesterday to say nothing found, doh, hadn't seen that, he also raises the following point :

I do believe that scientists strive for the truth, however
QUESTION: Would Curiosity be allowed to continue mission IF Methane had been found?
If Planetary Protection rules would not allow continuation of Curiosity mission after finding Methane on Mars, can we be sure that we can trust scientists' answers about methane?

Would giving up your life's work because you found methane not be too much punishment for telling the truth?

namloc1980

Given the tiny amounts of methane detected by previous missions the source is more likely to be geological as opposed to being biological.

Mountainsandh

shedweller wrote: »

:eek:

I know, I don't retain all the info in these articles, but I certainly retained that one too :)

shedweller

namloc1980 wrote: »

Given the tiny amounts of methane detected by previous missions the source is more likely to be geological as opposed to being biological.

Yes, i saw that mentioned somewhere. It could be simply a few volcanoes that spewed recently. Although i don't recall much mention of volcanoes going off in the last few hundred years?

expectationlost

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2012/11/04/the-single-greatest-vacation-picture-ever-taken/

So why don’t you see the arm in these shots? Its because it was edited out! The camera took several pictures which overlapped.

Bohrio

expectationlost wrote: »

http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/badastronomy/2012/11/04/the-single-greatest-vacation-picture-ever-taken/

So why don’t you see the arm in these shots? Its because it was edited out! The camera took several pictures which overlapped.

She probably asked someone to take the picture for her...My wife does it all the time while in our holidays.... so embarrassing...

ronan45

I wonder what would peoples reaction be if it pulled up a small bone from under some sand:cool::eek:

http://www.google.com/imgres?q=mars+curiosity+funny&num=10&um=1&hl=en&biw=1024&bih=653&tbm=isch&tbnid=_p1byRwtDPe0jM:&imgrefurl=http://themetapicture.com/curious-cats-demise/&docid=y_ossiLxqiVunM&imgurl=http://static.themetapicture.com/media/funny-Mars-robot-Curiosity.jpg&w=540&h=379&ei=v42XUIfPEcaShgecqoGIAg&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=103&vpy=153&dur=401&hovh=188&hovw=268&tx=188&ty=79&sig=107978828776685688751&sqi=2&page=1&tbnh=135&tbnw=194&start=0&ndsp=12&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0,i:68

Tallon

So it looks like Curiosity took a Myspace photo
http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/703574main_MSL%20self-portrait%20pia16239%2020121101_full.jpg

maguffin

Tallon wrote: »

So it looks like Curiosity took a Myspace photo
http://www.nasa.gov/images/content/703574main_MSL%20self-portrait%20pia16239%2020121101_full.jpg

I follow this thread with interest...well done to all of you for the great pics...but I was just wondering if anyone has noticed the strange reddish/brown discolouration on some rocks at top left (as you look at pic), just below horizon level and in a 'sandy' area?? Zoom in and see!

any ideas? has this been observed before?

am I showing my ignorance? :eek:

shizz

maguffin wrote: »

I follow this thread with interest...well done to all of you for the great pics...but I was just wondering if anyone has noticed the strange reddish/brown discolouration on some rocks at top left (as you look at pic), just below horizon level and in a 'sandy' area?? Zoom in and see!

any ideas? has this been observed before?

am I showing my ignorance? :eek:

I think that may just be an artefact from them applying colours to the image. Seems like they missed it?

emo72

have a look at the curiosity hi res image, and look in the big round lens at the top, it looks like some alien dude being reflected. almost swear it was shopped into it.

Tallon

emo72 wrote: »

have a look at the curiosity hi res image, and look in the big round lens at the top, it looks like some alien dude being reflected. almost swear it was shopped into it.

No it doesn't

emo72

Tallon wrote: »

No it doesn't

just me then

Mountainsandh

I see it, it's just a component of the lens, mirror lens sort of thing I presume, kind of like this http://c0.dmlimg.com/1fc1c1c2db5852e08ffc380475e26336f88cf345732ea2c5821c24c2e81ebea5.jpg
the reflection is upside down.
Is that what you meant ?

Mountainsandh

There are a lot of these little white particles behind the front wheel (front from our viewpoint) underneath Curiosity were the soil has been disturbed.e
The stone at the front is interesting too, it really looks like dried out, tortured mud, and there's a lot more looking like that in the background it seems.

It looks like the pic has been retouched near the silver cylinder, and I don't know about you guys, but zooming on the sky I get a lot of pixelated sort of "waves" too. Not that it means much I suppose, if it's a composite I suppose some retouching might have been necessary. (on the other hand who's to say they haven't obliterated a tumbled down replica of a greek temple in the background, and a flotilla of curious aircraft observing Curiosity )

shizz

Mountainsandh wrote: »

I see it, it's just a component of the lens, mirror lens sort of thing I presume, kind of like this http://c0.dmlimg.com/1fc1c1c2db5852e08ffc380475e26336f88cf345732ea2c5821c24c2e81ebea5.jpg
the reflection is upside down.
Is that what you meant ?

I think the part he is referring to is the laser.

shedweller

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/msl/news/msl20121115.html

PASADENA, Calif. -- Observations of wind patterns and natural radiation patterns on Mars by NASA's Curiosity rover are helping scientists better understand the environment on the Red Planet's surface.
Researchers using the car-sized mobile laboratory have identified transient whirlwinds, mapped winds in relation to slopes, tracked daily and seasonal changes in air pressure, and linked rhythmic changes in radiation to daily atmospheric changes. The knowledge being gained about these processes helps scientists interpret evidence about environmental changes on Mars that might have led to conditions favorable for life.
During the first 12 weeks after Curiosity landed in an area named Gale Crater, an international team of researchers analyzed data from more than 20 atmospheric events with at least one characteristic of a whirlwind recorded by the Rover Environmental Monitoring Station (REMS) instrument. Those characteristics can include a brief dip in air pressure, a change in wind direction, a change in wind speed, a rise in air temperature or a dip in ultraviolet light reaching the rover. Two of the events included all five characteristics.

shedweller

http://www.npr.org/2012/11/20/165513016/big-news-from-mars-rover-scientists-mum-for-now

Scientists working on NASA's six-wheeled rover on Mars have a problem. But it's a good problem.
They have some exciting new results from one of the rover's instruments. On the one hand, they'd like to tell everybody what they found, but on the other, they have to wait because they want to make sure their results are not just some fluke or error in their instrument.
It's a bind scientists frequently find themselves in, because by their nature, scientists like to share their results. At the same time, they're cautious because no one likes to make a big announcement and then have to say "never mind."
The exciting results are coming from an instrument in the rover called SAM. "We're getting data from SAM as we sit here and speak, and the data looks really interesting," John Grotzinger, the principal investigator for the rover mission, says during my visit last week to his office at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. That's where data from SAM first arrive on Earth. "The science team is busily chewing away on it as it comes down," says Grotzinger.

Tenner says it's a complex "organic" molecule. Meaning it might not be exactly living but maybe nearly living?

Mountainsandh

There's a thread on it in AH, with link to an article, that doesn't add much to this, actually, don't really know why I'm posting this.
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2056812601

Calibos

Oh, the shame. The AH thread link being posted here to provide us with more information rather than the other way round. For Shame gents, For shame!!

Mountainsandh

pfff... talk of information ! I toyed with the idea of posting "yore Ma" in there, but nah... it's just not me.

shedweller

Maybe Curiosity should Blast it with........ nevermind!

DubOnHoliday

http://www.space.com/18565-mars-rover-curiosity-discovery-mystery.html

flanna01

Thats KOOL

shedweller

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/11/121126130945.htm

ScienceDaily (Nov. 26, 2012) — For the first time, ESA's Mars orbiter has relayed

scientific data from NASA's Curiosity rover on the Red Planet's surface. The data included detailed images of 'Rocknest3' and were received by ESA's deep-space antenna in Australia.

It was a small but significant step in interplanetary cooperation between space agencies.
Early on the morning of 6 October, ESA's Mars Express looked down as it orbited the planet, lining up its lander communication antenna to point at Curiosity far below on the surface.
For 15 minutes, the NASA rover transmitted scientific data up to the ESA satellite. A few hours later, Mars Express slewed to point its high-gain antenna toward Earth and began downlinking the precious information to the European Space Operations Centre in Darmstadt, Germany, via the Agency's 35 m-diameter antenna in New Norcia, Australia.
The data were immediately made available to NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California for processing and analysis, proving again that NASA's amazing new rover can talk with Europe's veteran Mars orbiter.