MSL Post First Drive - Intermission, Start of Drive to Glenelg, Intermission between CAP 1B and 2 - Sols 17 through 29 Options

[ilbasso]

Look Ma! No lander!

Right after the MSL landing, I thought what it would be like for some Martian wanderer who just happened upon the MSL landing site. You'd see these tracks suddenly stopping here and the other end stretching off into the distance. What made these, and where did it come from, or where did it go? Was it 'raptured' away?

[climber]

Little bright squiggle back near the landing site from sol 20:
[attachment=27997:0020MR00..._db_crop.jpg]

I guess you remember we sew such "artificial" device back in 2004, can't remember which MER it was. So, I guess it comes from Curiosity.

[morganism]

kapton tape, or part of the electrical umbilical sheath?

[atomoid]

i think you're referring to Oppys sighting of the white rabbit on the first few sols (though i think theres a better pic in another cam), i think that vanished like the Cheshire cat at some point if i recall, ..perhaps after shedding some rabbit hare strands (under big spherule at upper right)

[climber]

Yep rabbit it was, thanks.

[paraisosdelsiste...]

Nice outcrop on Sol 27 It seems like a clastic rock.

[climber]

It's remarkable how clean is (the downwind?) side of both rock and gravels. I don't recall such (big) difference in other landing sites.
Lot of gravels, BTW. Is that a sign of alluvial place or not at all?

[fredk]

It seems like a clastic rock.

Anybody ever mix cement in the backyard?

Cute rock cairn from sol20, near the landing site:


BTW, this is the right thread for both these images - I'm noticing images showing up in wrong threads.

[paraisosdelsiste...]

It's remarkable how clean is (the downwind?) side of both rock and gravels. I don't recall such (big) difference in other landing sites.
Lot of gravels, BTW. Is that a sign of alluvial place or not at all?

At least I can't know exactly what processes made this rocks we are seeing in the image. We need close-up images for that. From that point of view it seems like a basaltic tuff but it also could be a detritic rock, so it's kind of difficult to guess at this moment how this rock was formed. I hope MAHLI starts to take images of the rocks soon

[Ondaweb]

Cute rock cairn from sol20, near the landing site:

To me it looks more like a balancing rock than a cairn! Does a 2d image show something supporting the left side of the high rock?

[Ant103]

Is this some kind of pharaos artifact ?

[jmknapp]

Maybe it's significant that there's a telecon scheduled today, and the fullframe mastcam sol 27 images just appeared on the public site yesterday?

Here's an anaglyph of the outcrop:



The raw color image: http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/msl-raw-images/ms...5000E1_DXXX.jpg

Seems like the rocks are covered with a layer of dust on the right-facing sides--would that be the "lee" side? I.e., dust wouldn't collect on the windward side.

[fredk]

Our first M100 pair with a decent baseline, from sols 19 and 25:

[climber]

Maybe it's significant that there's a telecon scheduled today

You don't expect they'll announce proof of water on Mars, don't you?

[jmknapp]

You don't expect they'll announce proof of water on Mars, don't you?

You mean extant water at the site? Or strong indication that they're seeing water-lain deposits?--maybe that would rate a full-on press conference. But it'd be fun if they have something sciencey to say about what they're seeing in these shots. Who knows though, could be a engineering status report on MAHLI and the arm.