Starship Asterisk*

JohnD wrote: ↑Tue Jun 15, 2021 8:25 am It's interesting that the shape of a Mars Rover seems to converge, whoever the designers!
I presume that's a thermonuclear power generator at the back, like Curiosity's?
And the wheels are very similar. 'Borrowed' ideas maybe, but they decided on the same design.

emc wrote: ↑Tue Jun 15, 2021 5:56 amET with wings

orin stepanek wrote: ↑Tue Jun 15, 2021 12:35 pm

emc wrote: ↑Tue Jun 15, 2021 5:56 am

ET with wings

My thoughts was like a bird also! ready to go into flight!

What mysteries will we uncover on Mars? & Will the science communities share?

orienteer6 wrote: ↑Tue Jun 15, 2021 12:00 pm How was the camera deployed? I see no wheel tracks, and no wires. The only guess I have is an air cannon, which would not guarantee a proper alignment.

Ann wrote: ↑Tue Jun 15, 2021 3:25 pm

Zhurong: New Rover on Mars Image Credit: China National Space Administration

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Wall-E.

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This Zhurong contraption reminds me of something... Now what can it be?

Ann

XgeoX wrote: ↑Tue Jun 15, 2021 11:15 am

JohnD wrote: ↑Tue Jun 15, 2021 8:25 am It's interesting that the shape of a Mars Rover seems to converge, whoever the designers!
I presume that's a thermonuclear power generator at the back, like Curiosity's?
And the wheels are very similar. 'Borrowed' ideas maybe, but they decided on the same design.

The rover is entirely solar powered, the thing that looks like an RTG is actually it’s weather station (beats me why it looks like that!).



As for the wheels being similar I think they pretty much have too as I doubt any rubber could survive those cold, cold nights!!!

Eric

orienteer6 wrote: ↑Tue Jun 15, 2021 8:32 pm by Chris Peterson » Tue Jun 15, 2021 1:36 pm

orienteer6 wrote: ↑Tue Jun 15, 2021 12:00 pm
How was the camera deployed? I see no wheel tracks, and no wires. The only guess I have is an air cannon, which would not guarantee a proper alignment.
I'm not sure there aren't tracks. I see what could be tracks leading left and right from each wheel, almost parallel to the horizon, which is consistent with what we'd see given a wide angle camera sitting very low to the ground.
Chris

The picture of the base with the ramp shows some good tracks. This shot does not. I can only assume that the rover took a circular route so as to not mar the surface.
Thanks for the answer.

neufer wrote: ↑Mon Jun 21, 2021 3:15 pm

Click to play embedded YouTube video.

johnnydeep wrote: ↑Mon Jun 21, 2021 5:32 pm
Just what are you implying, neufer?

What's so interesting about that rock?

• It appears to be a glorified bottle opener.

johnnydeep wrote: ↑Mon Jun 21, 2021 5:32 pm
I'm more curious about the perfect sphere seen at 1:30 and later.

• It appears to be a glorified blueberry.

neufer wrote: ↑Mon Jun 21, 2021 6:31 pm

Click to play embedded YouTube video.

johnnydeep wrote: ↑Mon Jun 21, 2021 5:32 pm
Just what are you implying, neufer?

What's so interesting about that rock?

• It appears to be a glorified bottle opener.

johnnydeep wrote: ↑Mon Jun 21, 2021 5:32 pm
I'm more curious about the perfect sphere seen at 1:30 and later.

• It appears to be a glorified blueberry.

johnnydeep wrote: ↑Mon Jun 21, 2021 6:59 pm

neufer wrote: ↑Mon Jun 21, 2021 6:31 pm

johnnydeep wrote: ↑Mon Jun 21, 2021 5:32 pm
I'm more curious about the perfect sphere seen at 1:30 and later.

• It appears to be a glorified blueberry.

I do know about the "blueberries", but I though those were usually found in multiples in close proximity. This sphere seems to be off by its lonesome. Plus, it seems to be a lot bigger and more perfect than the typical "blueberry" though admittedly I'm not sure of the scale in this video.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martian_spherules wrote:
<<Researchers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory studied all the soil environments observed by Opportunity, and therefore studied the blueberries from Eagle Crater to Endurance (crater). They found that in a sample of 696 blueberries, disregarding any non-spherical blueberries from the sample, the blueberries average major axis to be about 2.87 mm. They also discovered blueberries that are found within soils are typically smaller than blueberries found in the outcrops. They noted the size of the blueberries tends to decrease with decreasing latitude.

NASA’s JPL also found that blueberries uncovered by the Rock Abrasion Tool aboard Opportunity were about 4 mm semi-major axis length at Eagle Crater and Endurance crater, about 2.2mm at Vostok, and about 3.0 mm at Naturaliste (crater). Those found in “the plains” were smaller (1-2 mm) than those of Eagle and Endurance craters.

Researchers from the University of Utah have explored the similarities between the blueberries and spherical concretions discovered within “Jurassic Navajo Sandstone” in southern Utah. They have concluded Mars must have had previous ground water activity to form the blueberries. However, they do note the spherules are more spherical in the Martian sample due to the lack of “joints, fractures, faults, or other preferential fluid paths,” unlike the Utah sample. A team of researchers from Japan studied the spherules found in Utah as well as spherules that were later discovered in Mongolia, in the Gobi. They found evidence that the concretions found in these locations are first formed as “spherical calcite concretions” in sandstone. Acidic water rich in iron then dissolve the calcite leaving behind the iron rich (hematite) spherule. This leads to the conclusion that the blueberries may have formed early in Mars’s history when the atmosphere was more dense by the same process.>>

https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/heaviest-blueberry wrote:
<<A (36 mm wide) blueberry grown by David and Leasa Mazzardis, founders and owners of the Nature's Select breeding program in Wilbinga, Western Australia, set a new world weight record at 0.57 ounces (16.2 g). The Mazzardis said they did not set out to grow unusually large blueberries, but the size of the fruit is a side effect of breeding the Ozblue variety of blueberries for traits related to taste and texture.

neufer wrote: ↑Mon Jun 21, 2021 8:23 pm

johnnydeep wrote: ↑Mon Jun 21, 2021 6:59 pm

neufer wrote: ↑Mon Jun 21, 2021 6:31 pm

• It appears to be a glorified blueberry.

I do know about the "blueberries", but I though those were usually found in multiples in close proximity. This sphere seems to be off by its lonesome. Plus, it seems to be a lot bigger and more perfect than the typical "blueberry" though admittedly I'm not sure of the scale in this video.

Researchers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory noted the size of Martian blueberries tends to decrease with decreasing latitude.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martian_spherules wrote:
<<Researchers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory studied all the soil environments observed by Opportunity, and therefore studied the blueberries from Eagle Crater to Endurance (crater). They found that in a sample of 696 blueberries, disregarding any non-spherical blueberries from the sample, the blueberries average major axis to be about 2.87 mm. They also discovered blueberries that are found within soils are typically smaller than blueberries found in the outcrops. They noted the size of the blueberries tends to decrease with decreasing latitude.

NASA’s JPL also found that blueberries uncovered by the Rock Abrasion Tool aboard Opportunity were about 4 mm semi-major axis length at Eagle Crater and Endurance crater, about 2.2mm at Vostok, and about 3.0 mm at Naturaliste (crater). Those found in “the plains” were smaller (1-2 mm) than those of Eagle and Endurance craters.

Researchers from the University of Utah have explored the similarities between the blueberries and spherical concretions discovered within “Jurassic Navajo Sandstone” in southern Utah. They have concluded Mars must have had previous ground water activity to form the blueberries. However, they do note the spherules are more spherical in the Martian sample due to the lack of “joints, fractures, faults, or other preferential fluid paths,” unlike the Utah sample. A team of researchers from Japan studied the spherules found in Utah as well as spherules that were later discovered in Mongolia, in the Gobi. They found evidence that the concretions found in these locations are first formed as “spherical calcite concretions” in sandstone. Acidic water rich in iron then dissolve the calcite leaving behind the iron rich (hematite) spherule. This leads to the conclusion that the blueberries may have formed early in Mars’s history when the atmosphere was more dense by the same process.>>

https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/heaviest-blueberry wrote:
<<A (36 mm wide) blueberry grown by David and Leasa Mazzardis, founders and owners of the Nature's Select breeding program in Wilbinga, Western Australia, set a new world weight record at 0.57 ounces (16.2 g). The Mazzardis said they did not set out to grow unusually large blueberries, but the size of the fruit is a side effect of breeding the Ozblue variety of blueberries for traits related to taste and texture.