Round Stain Near Purgatory Dune, round stain visible in the sand |
Round Stain Near Purgatory Dune, round stain visible in the sand |
Guest_Richard Trigaux_* |
Jun 21 2005, 05:49 AM
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#1
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Guests |
Hello all,
some of us (in the Free! thread) noticed a round dark stain near Oppy: visible here on the NASA site (look bottom right, just above Oppy's solar panel). So I open this thread for this. What such a stain could be? It looks just like a mere change in color, with the same texture than around it. The more trivial explanation would be a drop of lubricant fallen from the apparatus at the end of Oppy's solar panels, when she passed here just before she got stuck. With a temperature of 20° oil could spread, and certain oil compositions would not evaporate, at least not fast. But there would be more enthralling explanations. For instance a colony of bacteria could look like this. Or other really unexpected explanation. In any case we do not know what it is and it may be potentially very interesting. So I think it is worth a bit of examination with the instruments. Just be cautious not to place the microscope right on it, if it is oil it would irremediably dirty the lens. |
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Jun 21 2005, 06:10 AM
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#2
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2492 Joined: 15-January 05 From: center Italy Member No.: 150 |
Someone noticed similar spots elsewere...
As already written in another thread, could be the dark spot a "tiny crater" completely filled with fresh (darker) sand? Note that in image you posted, in the other side of the same dune there is a tiny crater with approximately the same size; it is uncovered by sand probably because main wind direction is from right... [/quote] -------------------- I always think before posting! - Marco -
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Guest_Richard Trigaux_* |
Jun 21 2005, 10:01 AM
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#3
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Guests |
QUOTE (dilo @ Jun 21 2005, 06:10 AM) As already written in another thread, could be the dark spot a "tiny crater" completely filled with fresh (darker) sand? mmmmh... I don't think so, its surface is the continuation of the surrounding surface, with the same little ridges, as if the spot was just painted on the ground. It is this which makes it strange. QUOTE (dilo @ Jun 21 2005, 06:10 AM) Note that in image you posted, in the other side of the same dune there is a tiny crater with approximately the same size; we are not far from the first discovered tiny crater (10m maybe) so all the discution about the statistical repartition of the tiny craters still applies. (It was considered unlikely that the tiny craters were grouped, but meteorites or fallout from the cruise stage could give a very irregular repartition). Eventually we are still so close of the first tiny crater that it would be worth to go back a while, and eventually scuff in it to have a cut view or eventually find the object which created it (meteorite or bolt) |
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Jun 21 2005, 11:13 AM
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#4
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Member Group: Members Posts: 362 Joined: 12-June 05 From: Kiama, Australia Member No.: 409 |
Maybe it was a cat?..... no,... they usually leave a little mound with radial claw marks.
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Jun 21 2005, 01:21 PM
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#5
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Senior Member Group: Members Posts: 2488 Joined: 17-April 05 From: Glasgow, Scotland, UK Member No.: 239 |
I really don't think it's an oil leak - even though Opportunity spent a month sitting in the garage waiting for the AA man!
It's interesting, though - there's no obvious change of texture that I can see. Well, maybe there'll be some Mini-TES scans of the area in the next few days (if we're lucky). -------------------- Remember: Time Flies like the wind - but Fruit Flies like bananas!
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Jun 21 2005, 01:46 PM
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#6
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Member Group: Members Posts: 510 Joined: 17-March 05 From: Southeast Michigan Member No.: 209 |
I'm not a mechanical guy - but how much/what kind of oil would Oppy have?
I'd assume some kind of lubricant in all the wheels/suspension/drive system, and in the IDD/mast actuators. I'd also assume that it wouldn't be enough to make a stain like that, and if it was a leak, we'd see an impact on the rover's systems. I think I'm in the tiny crater camp right now... -------------------- --O'Dave
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