Starship Asterisk*

MarkBour wrote: ↑Sun May 24, 2020 5:57 am
"The featured mosaic was created from over 100 images of Mars taken by Viking Orbiters in the 1970s".

I think it would be fascinating to watch a detailed description of the process of putting together that mosaic.

It's certainly nice to be able to see this astonishing view without having to spend months in a small capsule to go look at it. But if you like that sort of thing ... https://www.zdnet.com/article/nasa-want ... -missions/

rwlott wrote: ↑Sun May 24, 2020 12:20 pm The canyon is interesting, but I'm curious about the three brown "sores" on the image left. What are they and by what processes were they created?

Wikipedia wrote:

The western hemisphere of Mars is dominated by a massive volcano-tectonic complex known as the Tharsis region or the Tharsis bulge. This immense, elevated structure is thousands of kilometers in diameter and covers up to 25% of the planet's surface. Averaging 7–10 km above datum (Martian "sea" level), Tharsis contains the highest elevations on the planet. Three enormous volcanoes, Ascraeus Mons, Pavonis Mons, and Arsia Mons (collectively known as the Tharsis Montes), sit aligned northeast–southwest along the crest of the bulge. The vast Alba Mons (formerly Alba Patera) occupies the northern part of the region. The huge shield volcano Olympus Mons lies off the main bulge, at the western edge of the province.

Built up by countless generations of lava flows and ash, the Tharsis bulge contains some of the youngest lava flows on Mars, but the bulge itself is believed to be very ancient. Geologic evidence indicates that most of the mass of Tharsis was in place by the end of the Noachian Period, about 3.7 billion years ago. Tharsis is so massive that it has placed tremendous stresses on the planet's lithosphere, generating immense extensional fractures (grabens and rift valleys) that extend halfway around the planet. The mass of Tharsis could have even altered the orientation of Mars' rotational axis, causing climate changes.

orin stepanek wrote: ↑Sun May 24, 2020 11:30 am marsglobe_viking_960.jpg

So big that the best view is from afar!

NCTom wrote: ↑Sun May 24, 2020 11:55 am That was some crack considering after a couple of billion years of dust storms the thing is still 8 kilometers deep!

johnnydeep wrote: ↑Sun May 24, 2020 2:44 pm

NCTom wrote: ↑Sun May 24, 2020 11:55 am That was some crack considering after a couple of billion years of dust storms the thing is still 8 kilometers deep!

Hmm, that an interesting thought. I wonder if the canyon really does have a very thick layer of dust at its bottom...

ta152h0 wrote: ↑Sun May 24, 2020 11:12 pm Boy, it would be fun to throw a paper airplane off the top of that canyon! pass the ice cold one.

johnnydeep wrote: ↑Sun May 24, 2020 2:40 pm
Perhaps, but it would sure be sweet to be able to fly along and within it in a helicopter!

TheZuke! wrote: ↑Tue May 26, 2020 2:06 pm

johnnydeep wrote: ↑Sun May 24, 2020 2:40 pm
Perhaps, but it would sure be sweet to be able to fly along and within it in a helicopter!

Not accounting for conventional engines not working in the thin atmosphere, I wonder just how large (long, wide) the rotary wings would need to be for a "helicopter" ( one or two human occupants) to provide lift!