Walking on Mars with Spirit and Opportunity

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Inizio > MARS > Walking on Mars with Spirit and Opportunity

Walking on Mars with Spirit and Opportunity

OPP-SOL021-1N130053596EFF0382P1938L0M1.jpgOn the Edge of Eagle Crater (Natural Colors; credits: Lunar Explorer Italia)155 visitenessun commentoMareKromium

OPP-SOL022-GB-LXTT-1.jpgMartian Berries and Shells - Sol 22 (Superdefinition and Absolute Natural Colors; credits for the additional process. and color.: Dr Gianluigi Barca - Lunexit Team)219 visitenessun commentoMareKromium

OPP-SOL023-1N130228443EFF0400P1940R0M1.jpgAir-bag Tracks inside Eagle Crater - Sol 23 (Natural Colors; credits: Lunar Explorer Italia)53 visitenessun commentoMareKromium

OPP-SOL024-B_P2383_LanderPan-B034R1_br2.jpgChallanger Memorial Station (the "nest", in approximate true colors) - Sol 2482 visiteCaption NASA originale:"This image taken by the PanCam onboard the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity shows the Rover's now-empty lander, the Challenger Memorial Station, at Meridiani Planum, Mars. The image was acquired on the 24th Sol of Opportunity's mission at approximately 13:00 Local Solar Time (or also Mars Local Time - MLT). This is a mosaic image consisting of 12 color images acquired with the camera's red, green and blue filters. The color balance has been set to approximate the colors that a human eye would see".

OPP-SOL027-El_Capitan-xpe_Outcrop_RATplacement_2_blue-B027R1.jpg"El Capitan": an Outcrop inside Eagle Crater - Sol 27137 visiteCaption NASA originale:"This graphic is a planning tool used by Mars Exploration Rover engineers to plot and scheme the perfect location to place the Rock Abrasion Tool on the rock collection dubbed "El Capitan" near Opportunity's landing site. "El Capitan" is located within a larger outcrop nicknamed "Opportunity Ledge. "El Capitan" was named after a mountain in Texas, but on Mars, it is about 10 cm (about 4") high. Scientists are eager to use the Rock Abrasion Tool to peer deeper into the history of the formation of "El Capitan" and the Team will spend multiple Soles taking pre- and post-measurements of the rock targets".

OPP-SOL029-1P130764367RAD0454P2575L234567C1.jpgMonochrome Mars - Sol 29 (Multispectral Color Imagery; credits: Lyle.org)54 visitenessun commentoMareKromium

OPP-SOL029-MF.jpgIn "Full Daylight" - Sol 29 (True - but enhanced - colors; credits: Dr M. Faccin)53 visitenessun commentoMareKromium

OPP-SOL032-PIA05484-LUNEXIT_STYLE.jpgSkyline, with Endurance Crater in the distance - Sol 32 (Absolute Natural Colors; credits for the additional process. and color.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga - Lunexit Team)169 visitenessun commento11 commentiMareKromium

OPP-SOL032-PIA05484-NASA_STYLE.jpgSkyline, with Endurance Crater in the distance - Sol 32 (Approx. True Colors; credits for the additional process. and color.: Dr Paolo C. Fienga - Lunexit Team)168 visiteCaption NASA:"This image taken by the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity's PanCam shows the Eastern Plains that stretch beyond the small Crater where the Rover Landed. In the distance, the Rim of a larger Crater dubbed "Endurance" can be seen. This mosaic was taken on the 32nd Martian Day, or Sol, of the Rover's mission and spans 20° of the Local Horizon. It was taken while Opportunity was parked at the North end of the Outcrop, in front of the rock region dubbed "El Capitan", and facing East.
The features seen at the horizon are the near and far rims of "Endurance," the largest crater within about 6 Km (approx. 4 miles) of the Lander. Using orbital data from the Mars Orbiter Camera on NASA's Mars Global Surveyor Spacecraft, scientists estimated the crater to be approx. 160 meters (175 yards) in diameter, and about 720 meters (half a mile) away from the Lander. The highest point visible on Endurance is the highest point on the far Inner Wall of the Crater; the Sun is illuminating the inside of the Wall itself.ù
Between the location where the image was taken at "El Capitan" and "Endurance" are the flat, smooth Meridiani Plains, which scientists believe are blanketed in the Iron-bearing mineral called Hematite. The dark horizontal feature near the bottom of the picture is a small, approx. 5-meter (16-feet) Crater, only 50 meters (164 feet) from Opportunity's present position. When the Rover leaves the Crater some 2 to 3 weeks from now, Endurance will be the destinations".MareKromium

OPP-SOL033-12-1-jb-3-elcap-B033R1_br2.jpgCharlie Flats - outcrop inside Eagle Crater (1) - Sol 33101 visiteCaption NASA originale:"This mosaic image from the Mars Exploration Rover Opportunity’s PanCam shows two regions of the rock outcrop at Meridiani Planum, Mars. The region on the left, dubbed “Charlie Flats," was imaged because it contains an assortment of small grains, pebbles and spherules, as well as both dark and light soil deposits. The region on the right is where Opportunity is parked and is doing work as of Sol 33 of its mission (February 26, 2004)".

OPP-SOL033-12-2-jb-3-elcap-B033R1_br2.jpgEl Capitan - outcrop inside Eagle Crater (2) - Sol 33108 visiteSezione numero 2 del fotomosaico che raffigura l'interno del Cratere Eagle e due dei suoi 'outcrops' (---->affioramenti) più interessanti.
Siamo ancora agli inizi della Missione e le informazioni (unite ad immagini a colori veri, quasi veri e falsi, sia panoramiche, sia di dettaglio) fornite dalla NASA - ragguagliate a quello che ci viene passato oggi, a ben oltre un anno di distanza dall'inizio delle esplorazioni - sono davvero tante.

Si potrebbe obbiettare che, all'inizio, c'erano più cose da far vedere e da scoprire e che Marte, in fondo..."faceva più notizia"!

Forse.
Ma la nostra sensazione è che, a mano a mano che le Missioni Opportunity e Spirit sono andate avanti, il quantitativo (e, probabilmente, anche la portata) delle scoperte fatte è diventato tale da richiedere una riduzione sia volumetrica, sia quali-quantitativa dei dati per il Pubblico.

Cover-up? No, non diciamo questo.
Noi ci limitiamo a sottolineare dei fatti. Nulla di più.

OPP-SOL033-3.jpgMeridiani Planum: "Berry Bowl" - Sol 33 (Approx. True Colors; credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech)274 visiteCaption NASA originale:"This image from the Opportunity's PanCam is an approximate true-color rendering of the exceptional rock called "Berry Bowl" in the Eagle Crater outcrop. The study of this blueberry-strewn area and the identification of Hematite as the major iron-bearing element within these sphere-like grains helped scientists confirm their hypothesis that the hematite in these martian spherules was deposited in water (...)".

Nota: quelle curiosissime "sferule" che gli Scienziati Americani hanno chiamato "berries" (frutti di bosco), Dio solo sa perchè, non sono una prerogativa del solo Pianeta Marte. In realtà, almeno per quanto ci è dato sapere, se ne trovano anche sulla Terra (sebbene di colore diverso), in prossimità di sorgenti sulfuree e sul fondo di laghi e/o fiumi situati a ridosso di fornaci vulcaniche ancora attive. Ma le sferule Marziane sono "parte" del terreno o sono "poggiate" su di esso?
Ne sono "parte", come dimostra il berry 'lucidato' a centro frame.

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