[meteorite-list] Opportunity's Close-up of a Meteorite on Mars: 'Oilean Ruaidh'

From: Ron Baalke <baalke_at_meteoritecentral.com>
Date: Wed, 6 Oct 2010 12:27:17 -0700 (PDT)
Message-ID: <201010061927.o96JRHjt014467_at_zagami.jpl.nasa.gov>

http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/mer/images.cfm?id=2626

Opportunity's Close-up of a Meteorite: 'Oilean Ruaidh'
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
October 5, 2010

[Image]
This is an image of the meteorite that NASA's Mars Exploration Rover
Opportunity found and examined in September 2010.

Opportunity's cameras first revealed the meteorite in images taken on
Sol 2363 (Sept. 16, 2010), the 2,363rd Martian day of the rover's
mission on Mars. This view was taken with the panoramic camera on Sol
2371 (Sept. 24, 2010).

The science team used two tools on Opportunity's arm -- the microscopic
imager and the alpha particle X-ray spectrometer -- to inspect the
rock's texture and composition. Information from the spectrometer
confirmed that the rock is a nickel-iron meteorite. The team informally
named the rock "Oilean Ruaidh" (pronounced ay-lan ruah), which is the
Gaelic name for an island off the coast of northwestern Ireland.

Opportunity departed Oilean Ruaidh and resumed its journey toward the
mission's long-term destination, Endeavour Crater, on Sol 2374 (Sept.
28, 2010) with a drive of about 100 meters (328 feet).

This view, presented in approximately true color, combines component
images taken through three Pancam filters admitting wavelengths of 601
nanometers, 535 nanometers and 482 nanometers.

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell University
Received on Wed 06 Oct 2010 03:27:17 PM PDT