[meteorite-list] Opportunity Spots Curious Object On Mars

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Thu Jan 13 14:02:04 2005
Message-ID: <200501131901.LAA06787_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

http://www.space.com/missionlaunches/mars_object_050113.html

Opportunity Spots Curious Object On Mars
By Leonard David
space.com
13 January 2005

NASA's Opportunity Mars rover has come across an interesting object --
perhaps a meteorite sitting out in the open at Meridiani Planum. Initial
data taken by the robot's Mini-Thermal Emission Spectrometer (Mini-TES)
is suggestive that the odd-looking "rock" is made of metal.

The curious-looking object stands out in the parking-lot like landscape
of Meridiani Planum.

"We're curious about it too. We have Mini-TES data on it now, and they
suggest that it may actually be made of metal," said Steve Squyres, lead
scientist on the Mars Exploration Rover mission from Cornell University.

"So we are beginning to suspect that it may be a meteorite. I stress
that this is very preliminary!", Squyres told SPACE.com.

Opportunity has been busy at work inspecting entry debris -- hardware
that fell to Mars during the robot's entry, descent, and landing over a
year ago.

Not too distant from the debris field, the odd-looking rock sits alone
atop the sandy terrain.

Squyres cautioned that it is too early to identify the rock as a meteorite.

The next step by rover scientists is to carefully examine the object
with Opportunity's Instrument Deployment Device, or IDD. This robot arm
is tipped with scientific instruments.

Once extended out to the object, the arm-mounted devices can study the
object's structure in great detail. The instruments on the IDD are the
Microscopic Imager, the M?ssbauer Spectrometer, the Alpha Particle X-Ray
Spectrometer, and a Rock Abrasion Tool.

"We're going to look at it carefully with the IDD instruments next, and
that should enable us to determine for sure what it is," Squyres said.
Received on Thu 13 Jan 2005 02:01:51 PM PST