[X] My Assistant

[dvandorn]

Here's a nice space.com write-up of the press conference a lot of the MER science team presented today (Tuesday) at the AGU meeting in New Orleans:

link

I was especially intrigued by Squyres' comments on the stratigraphy seen at Methuselah and Jibsheet, and how it relates to the possible water-fill of the crater at some point:

“Gusev has certainly turned out to be different than we expected it to be,” Squyres said, adding that he still believes that the crater was once the watery lake suggested by orbital photographs.

The rocks of the Columbia Hill chain, which includes Husband Hill, may completely predate that Gusev lake, rising like an island above the plains, Squyres added.

Sounds a lot like the sequence I laid out in a post a few days ago:

my old post

It is just astounding to me that these plucky litle rovers are able to perform so well as field geologists that we've been able to characterize the history of these sites as well as we have thus far. Having this internet-provided ringside seat to the exploration of Mars (albeit by telepresence) has been exhiliarating. I'm *really* going to miss these rovers when they finally die, you know?

-the other Doug