APOD: Crystals on Mars (2014 Dec 12)

[Beyond]

What a fun thread! It's amazing just how far a penny can go now-a-days. I would have put in my two-cents worth, but then i would have been off-topic.

[BMAONE23]

Being less of a cent by weight on Mars
Would that make it a Ha'penny?

Even less. Gravity on Mars is only 38% that of Earth.
So it'd be a Lessthana Ha'penny.

Rob

Per'aps a Ha'Penny is going a little too Farthing

[Chris Peterson]

Being less of a cent by weight on Mars
Would that make it a Ha'penny?

Even less. Gravity on Mars is only 38% that of Earth.
So it'd be a Lessthana Ha'penny.

Rob

Per'aps a Ha'Penny is going a little too Farthing

I'm pleased to announce that I've signed you, Rob, Beyond, and David up for seats on Mars One, and sent along glowing letters of recommendation. That should afford you ample opportunity to pursue this fascinating subject.

[geckzilla]

So much for the rigorous psyche evaluation. They'll be joking and inventing puns all the way to Mars.

[rstevenson]

Imagine, a whole world ripe for the punning!

Rob

[BMAONE23]

OMG Chris is going to PUNish us

[rstevenson]

We will, of course, take along appropriate transportation...

A penny farthing.

Rob

[DavidLeodis]

I would be grateful if anyone can inform me how the 'Pahrump Hills' got that name. I have tried searching but have not been able to readily find out even after looking up quite a number of the very many links that came up in the search.

[Chris Peterson]

I would be grateful if anyone can inform me how the 'Pahrump Hills' got that name. I have tried searching but have not been able to readily find out even after looking up quite a number of the very many links that came up in the search.

When they were planning the mission, they broke the landing area into quadrants named after geographical regions on Earth. This is the Shoshone quadrant, and features are arbitrarily named after things in the Death Valley area, like Barstow, Mojave, and here, Pahrump (Nevada).

[DavidLeodis]

I would be grateful if anyone can inform me how the 'Pahrump Hills' got that name. I have tried searching but have not been able to readily find out even after looking up quite a number of the very many links that came up in the search.

When they were planning the mission, they broke the landing area into quadrants named after geographical regions on Earth. This is the Shoshone quadrant, and features are arbitrarily named after things in the Death Valley area, like Barstow, Mojave, and here, Pahrump (Nevada).

Thanks for that help Chris, which is appreciated.

As features are often named after people I had thought that perhaps Pahrump may be one. In view of your answer I have now looked up Pahrump, in Nevada, and in some information it states "Pahrump was originally inhabited by the Shoshone. It was slowly inhabited by American settlers in the late 19th century. They reportedly chose the name for Pahrump after the original indigenous name Pah-Rimpi, or "Water Rock," so named because of the abundant artesian wells in the valley". As there seems to be evidence that there has been surface water on Mars then Pahrump may have turned out to be good coincidence name.