Sol 90+, Extended mission |
Sol 90+, Extended mission |
Aug 25 2008, 11:46 AM
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Senior Member Group: Admin Posts: 3108 Joined: 21-December 05 From: Canberra, Australia Member No.: 615 |
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Sep 6 2008, 10:24 AM
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#2
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Member Group: Members Posts: 524 Joined: 24-November 04 From: Heraklion, GR. Member No.: 112 |
Regarding the olivine suggestion, I am not convinced at all.
I really don't see how a soil layer a few cm thick, which neighbours with water ice below, and spends six months per year covered with water ice, could contain olivine. Since it reacts so easily with water, only olivine hydrolysis products should be there. Olivine may point to dryness, but this cannot be logically reversed (and olivine was not detected) All other instruments show that the Phoenix site is not dry. The puzzle is how can the soil be consistently dry with so much water around ? How can the soil be dry when we see water condense on the legs of Phoenix ? I really enjoy the Scherlock Holmes elements this place offers us MECA sees perchlorates, but TEGA does not (so far). The TC probe points that the soil is dry, while we see the ice even with our own eyes ! I just love a good old mystery |
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Sep 7 2008, 04:00 AM
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#3
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Member Group: Members Posts: 144 Joined: 17-July 07 From: Canberra Australia Member No.: 2865 |
Regarding the olivine suggestion, I am not convinced at all. I really don't see how a soil layer a few cm thick, which neighbours with water ice below, and spends six months per year covered with water ice, could contain olivine. Since it reacts so easily with water, only olivine hydrolysis products should be there. I just love a good old mystery Green Beach in Hawaii demonstrates that Olivine can co-exist with a lot of water for a long time (by our Mayfly yardstick). However, if any of the greenish particles we have seen from OM images are Olivine then given their size and the Martian timescales, it would seem proof positive that the probe is right and the regolith is totally dry. I don't know what the temperature of the permafrost is but I feel that it is cold enough for H2O to be just another rock. While they are not releasing even basic information all we can do is conjecture, but that couple of cm of soil seems to have some pretty impressive properties. |
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