Starship Asterisk*

Introductory comment: at first glance, my question may appear to violate two of the rules for this bulletin board. Please take the tongue-in-cheek portions of the comments as they were intended, as humourous.

In today's image (02 May), the issue for me is not the outcropping called Methuselah, but the apparent tire tracks that seem to run from 7 o'clock to 3 o'clock, then take a left turn to the outcropping. The caption says that Spirit has moved closer since the picture was taken, but it seems to me that either (1) Spirit had already been closer, and backed up to take today's shot, or (2) (ominous music here) SOMEONE ELSE HAD ALREADY BEEN THERE!!!

Okay, so option (2) is not likely. So, my question is: what's the thinking on these "tire tracks"?

Without a doubt...those tracks were made by a 1964 Ford pickup.

Na-ah, it doesn't really fit. My bet is Ford M8.

Victor Emerson wrote:Introductory comment: at first glance, my question may appear to violate two of the rules for this bulletin board. Please take the tongue-in-cheek portions of the comments as they were intended, as humourous.

In today's image (02 May), the issue for me is not the outcropping called Methuselah, but the apparent tire tracks that seem to run from 7 o'clock to 3 o'clock, then take a left turn to the outcropping. The caption says that Spirit has moved closer since the picture was taken, but it seems to me that either (1) Spirit had already been closer, and backed up to take today's shot, or (2) (ominous music here) SOMEONE ELSE HAD ALREADY BEEN THERE!!!

Okay, so option (2) is not likely. So, my question is: what's the thinking on these "tire tracks"?

Spirit had originally approached and climbed Larry's Lookout from the rear, and from that perspective the Lookout appeared to be just a knob on the hill.

But then the rover moved around to the side of Larry's Lookout (therefore the tracks seen in the image), and took a picture that caught the immediate attention of Squyres and other mission scientists for the MER Project. The image looks north along the ridge of the Columbia Hills with Spirit sitting on Husband Hill, and the camera pointed at Clark Hill. The hills are strewn with rocks, and in the foreground are two tilting rocks. The big outcrop just behind the rocks is Larry's Lookout, which is in the first frame from right to left taken in the panoramic view.
The other pictures for this view were taken at various times. The view of Methuselah outcrop being last. You can see Astrobiology Magazine website for further information concerning these outcrops and what they mean for the MER Mission.

Optional explanation for tracks: Ford "Explorer"