APOD: Rolling Across the Rocky Plains of Mars (2010 Oct 04)

[APOD Robot]

Rolling Across the Rocky Plains of Mars

Explanation: You stare out across the rocky plains of Mars. Before you, in every direction, is dark sand and bright rock. Although little has changed here for millions of years, no one has ever seen this view before. You are being sent on a long journey to a distant crater, the largest crater in the region. Your human overlords back on planet Earth wonder if the impact that created this distant crater might have also uncovered unique clues to the distant past of Earth's neighboring planet, clues that might reveal if life ever existed here. Breaking the monotony, visible toward the image center, an unusual rock sticks out from the landscape. Quite possibly, this rock is not from this world, and you divert to inspect it. You are the robotic Opportunity rover, and you are the eyes for countless humans following your trek back on planet Earth. Rolling about a football field a day, you might reach Endeavour crater sometime in 2012. If you survive.

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[owlice]

Ho-ho!! Someone had a good time writing today's APOD, and I had fun reading it! Except for the link about Spirit; poor Spirit, all cold and quiet and needing a warm blanket and some sunshine.

[León]

The planets reach their state with rocky cover. I think, in this case, we have to look at, cleaned of sediment, only some sand. The folds and sedimentary layers suscesivas not let us see on earth.

[orin stepanek]

I wish today's picture was in color.

Ho-ho!! Someone had a good time writing today's APOD, and I had fun reading it! Except for the link about Spirit; poor Spirit, all cold and quiet and needing a warm blanket and some sunshine.

I was wishfully thinking that maybe a Martian winter wind could blow the loose sand that Spirit is stuck in away!

[biddie67]

If I may be allowed - wow!!! and golly-gee-whiz!!!! What a scene spread out in front of the rover. Loved the write-up - human overlords, in deed!!!!

Maybe, just maybe, Spirit can be freed by those winter winds .....

[jaya]

This looks more like a series of beaches from an ocean or a lake that was higher at one time and subsided over many millenia. I've seen this sort of thing near Great Salt Lake in Utah and the pacific coast just north of Santa Cruz.

[JingJang]

It almost looks like a circular rock structure just a few feet in front of the rover.

The rest of the rocks seem to follow the patterns of the wind but the structure in front there seems to be more circular than the others. Could that be a very small crater?? Maybe Opportunity could stop there, and dig down a little to see if there is anything of interest.

I love seeing these pictures!

[Ankh]

That was so beautifully written. I will re-read this APOD many times.

[robbinewman]

I love these guys. Spirit is gone but Oppy trucks on...fingers crossed...what a stellar effort for all involved..particualrly the builders of these amazing machines....what we humans should be doing...not building/wasting time on weapons etc.

[fl]

are the rectangular patterns in front center tire tracks or natural ?

[bystander]

are the rectangular patterns in front center tire tracks or natural ?

I think you are referring to the solar panels on Opportunity.